Democracy, Participation, and Deliberation in China

Although recent decades have shown much interest in the possibility of democratizing China, Chinese understandings of democracy remain understudied. Considering that these domestic understandings shape the Chinese polity now and in the future, this book examines the Chinese theory of democratic centralism that perceives democracy as communication between leaders and led. This study compares this theory with various Western traditions of democracy, not only with the standard liberal theory but also with traditions of participatory and deliberative democracy. It examines consequences the Chinese theory is likely to have in political practice. In addition, this book sheds light to the methods, strategies, and techniques of political discussion in China. This study belongs to scholarly traditions of the history of ideas, political philosophy, comparative politics, and China studies.