Social Sciences in China, 2021

Vol. 42, No. 2, 2021

The Logical Transformation of the Modernization of State Governance

(Abstract)

Xia Zhiqiang

The modernization of state governance embodies the process of modern state construction, and the success or failure of state governance depends on the institutional logic and effectiveness of state governance. The governance of modern Western countries is dominated by market logic and has made outstanding achievements in protecting individual rights and increasing material wealth. However, it faces a crisis of declining governance effectiveness. Since the Opium War, China’s governance transformation has been deeply restricted by the traditional power-based logic and success has been hard. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, especially since the reform and opening up, there has been a gradual shift from a power-based approach to a rights-based approach in state governance, which has achieved outstanding governance results. In view of the new changes in time and space, the modernization of state governance in the new era needs to deal with the dual tests of traditional factors and international situation. Therefore, the core issues of the transformation of state governance should be analyzed from an open-system perspective, and the logic of state governance should be effectively settled on the rights-based approach. In contemporary China, the most important thing in the modernization of state governance is to uphold the Party’s leadership. From the perspective of practical issues and objective needs, the modernization of state governance must adhere to the people-centered principle, establish the foundation of governance by civil rights, build governance consensus through constitutional governance, create governance momentum through cooperative actions, and provide governance support through public virtues. This establishes and consolidates the base of the effectiveness of modern state governance and enhances its efficiency.

Keywords: governance effectiveness, state governance logic, market logic, power logic