Taru Salmenkari

Democracy, Participation, and Deliberation in China: Chinese Debates and International Standards Taru Salmenkari

Although recent decades have shown much interest inthe possibility of democratizing China, Chineseunderstandings of democracy remain understudied. Considering that these domestic understandings shapethe Chinese polity now and in the future, this bookexamines the Chinese theory of democratic centralismthat perceives democracy as communication betweenleaders and led. This study compares this theory withvarious Western traditions of democracy, not onlywith the standard liberal theory but also withtraditions of participatory and deliberativedemocracy. It examines consequences the Chinesetheory is likely to have in political practice. Inaddition, this book sheds light to the methods, strategies, and techniques of political discussion inChina. This study belongs to scholarly traditions ofthe history of ideas, political philosophy, comparative politics, and China studies.