China’s Political Future: Democracy, Meritocracy, Or Both?

Westerners tend to divide the political world into "good" democracies and "bad" authoritarian regimes. But the Chinese political model does not fit neatly in either category. Over the past three decades, China has developed a genuinely new approach to governance, rooted in its long history and at odds with the "Western" idea that electoral democracy is the only legitimate form of government. How can China avoid the disadvantages of political meritocracy? How can political meritocracy best be combined with democracy? And what can other societies learn from the Chinese approach to governance? Professor Daniel A. Bell (Dean of the Faculty of Politics and Public Administration at Shandong University (Qingdao)) discusses one of the most important political developments of the twenty-first century. Introduced by Professor John Makeham (China Studies Research Centre, La Trobe University) and featuring debate from Professor John Fitzgerald (Director, CSI Swinburne Program for Asia-Pacific Social Investment and Philanthropy) and Professor Baogang (Alfred Deakin Professor and Chair in International Relations at Deakin University). A China Studies Research Centre public event.