Intellectual satisfaction, the logic of the systemC1, the movement-based governance C4, the collective behaviour of unorganised interests C11 and the concluding remarks C12 are particularly silky. The tension between security and efficiency, between state power and bureaucracy, the interaction between state and society point to the causes of the dilemma and where the narrow door lies. The assertion that government becomes a business subject is exceptional. "There are two sides to every coin", and the logic of the different sides of the argument is very real. Power is also responsibility, and it is so difficult to decentralise or to change the logic of domination.
The Logic of Governance in China, for the layman, is a detailed, well-supported argument for a number of tools that help explain how the Chinese party/state works. For those inclined to Chinese civilization and it's history, the book provides evidence for the continuity of logics between imperial China and the PRC. For the sociological or organizational scholar, these tools shed light on political and organizational processes in a distinctly Chinese light, distinct from the Weberian or Western view. For the political scientist, these tools help explain China's politics beyond the umbrella terms of authoritarian or market socialist. While the author provides ample evidence from his own research and case studies of other events in Chinese history, for those even vaguely familiar with China these tools offer exceptional explanatory power (the case studies, while useful, can be skimmed if you're already familiar with the subject). Overall, The Logic of Governance in China will undoubtedly remain a core staple in the literature explaining how China works.
It is worth reading a social science book, which can be described as a well-organized analysis of the logic of governance of the state system, and in my opinion, the essence lies in the last part, "Challenges and Future of State Governance".
关于中华千年体制大量组织学,政治学的理论研究和田野调查。韦伯视角下的卡里斯玛权威,“委托代理”模型,不完全契约理论,行政发包制,运动型治理机制,科层组织内部谈判博弈模型,基层政府的共谋行为,拼凑应对模型,逆向软预算约束,无组织的利益与集体行为。这些一个个理论和为我以前狭隘的思想打开了新的世界。国家一统官僚体制所带来的非正式制度视角对我理解中国的“人情社会”颇有启发。实在感叹中国体制迂回的艺术,能在一统体制和有效治理的矛盾下不断平衡,延续到当代中国。另外,读完后我无疑不更加乐观,你党的伟大事业那是不可能在这泱泱大国实现了,详见part2 and 4。
真正有价值的是第三章和十一章,但后者依旧避重就轻,语焉不详。其他内容仍属于老生常谈,抽象的概念和理论削弱了现实弊病带来的赤裸冲击感,组织学从how和why来解释现象,但概括描述现象的同时,是否在让现实合理化?因此个人更偏向于经济学,用how和what to do更让人醍醐灌顶。中国治理规模之大,不是制度之恶的借口。官僚体制和常规机制组织的失败,若无替代品,则运动型治理机制总会摇摆回来,结尾作者寄希望于法理权威,却盼来卡里斯玛专断权威的回归,感慨比资本主义经济危机更甚的政治/社会危机才是社会主义之痛,现实让人唏嘘。