Collaborative Research: Private Entrepreneurs as Agents of Political Change in China

这个项目评估了中国的私营企业家作为政治变革推动者的潜力。中国的私营部门的迅速发展创造了独立的财富、权力和影响力，许多学者已经证明，这些都是一个国家民主化的关键因素。虽然中国经济快速发展的政治影响尚未完全认识到，但许多学者、政界人士和记者预计，不仅经济发展正导致中国民主化，而且私营企业家很可能成为这一过程中的变革推动者。以前的研究没有显示出对这些假设的支持，但它们并不是决定性的，要么局限于一个地区，要么局限于一种类型的企业。该项目通过考虑地区差异，测量中国的私营企业家对民主化和民主的态度和行为支持水平，并考察这种支持的社会经济和背景决定因素，对先前的研究进行了改进。为了将我们的研究结果与以前对中国的比较研究和个案研究相比较，本次调查中使用的问卷包括了一组与那些研究中使用的指标直接可比的核心指标。这项研究的结果将有助于解决两个关键且备受争议的理论问题：(1)在一个不民主的国家，哪些因素影响公民对民主和民主化的支持程度；(2)经济发展和日益繁荣对民主化有何贡献？调查人员尤其感兴趣的是，中国的私营企业家是否支持民主，他们的行为是否促进民主。这个项目提出的理论问题不仅源于当前关于中国民主前景的辩论，也源于学者们关于影响总体政治变化，特别是民主化的文化、结构和战略变量的持续辩论。广泛影响：研究和教育的整合：该项目包括研究生研究助理的参与，以促进他们的教育与原创研究的结合。由此产生的产品也将适合作为大学教材。新的合作：拟议中的项目是两位首席研究员之间的首次合作，也是他们中的任何一位与中方合作伙伴--中国社会科学院戴园晨教授--的首次合作。因此，这一新倡议将加强他们的研究议程，促进学术交流。政策影响：这个项目的发现将对美国的外交政策产生直接影响。更好地了解中国的私营企业家的目标和偏好，以及企业家对民主的支持，对于评估政治变革的前景并制定适当的政策来促进政治变革是必要的。

This project evaluates the potential of China's private entrepreneurs to serve as agents of political change. The dramatic growth of China's private sector has created independent sources of wealth, power, and influence that many scholars have shown are key factors in a country's democratization. While the political implications of China's rapid economic development have not yet been fully realized, many scholars, politicians, and journalists anticipate not only that economic development is leading toward democratization in China, but also that private entrepreneurs are likely to be agents of change in that process. Previous studies have not shown support for these assumptions, but they are not definitive, limited either to one locale or one type of enterprise. This project improves on previous studies by accounting for regional variation, measuring the levels of attitudinal and behavioral support for democratization and democracy among China's private entrepreneurs, and examining the socioeconomic and contextual determinants of such support. In order to compare our results with previous work, both comparative studies and case studies of China, the questionnaire used in this survey includes a core set of measures that are directly comparable to those that have been used in those studies.The results from this study will help to address two critical and much debated theoretical questions: (1) What factors influence the level of support for democracy and democratization among citizens in a non-democratic country, and (2) how do economic development and rising prosperity contribute to democratization? In particular, the investigators are interested in whether private entrepreneurs in China support democracy, and whether they behave in ways that promote democratization. The theoretical questions posed by this project are derived not only from current debates about the prospects for democracy in China, but also ongoing debates among scholars regarding the cultural, structural, and strategic variables that influence political change in general, and democratization in particular.Broader Impacts: Integration of Research and Education: The project includes the participation of graduate research assistants to promote the integration of their education with original research. The resulting products will also be appropriate as college texts. New Collaboration: The proposed project is the first collaboration between the two principal investigators, and the first collaboration between either of them with the Chinese partner, Prof. Dai Yuanchen of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. This new initiative will therefore enhance their research agendas and promote scholarly communication. Policy Impact: The findings from this project will have immediate implications for American foreign policy. A better understanding of the goals and preferences of China's private entrepreneurs and the support for democracy among entrepreneurs is necessary to evaluate the prospects for political change and to devise proper policies to promote it.