A Democratic China?

Peter Emerson

The de Borda Institute, Belfast, UK.

DOI: 10.4236/ojps.2014.43013                

Abstract

Many are the criticisms of those who feel that the one-party state in China is inadequate, and many are the calls, especially from abroad, for reform. But would a democratic China―as per a western interpretation—be an improvement? In tackling this question, this paper concentrates on voting procedures: those used in elections and those (which may or may not be the same) used in decision-making. This article first looks at the USSR, Eastern and Central Europe, and then briefly at Africa. Next, it considers what could go wrong if a standard, western, multi-party democracy was to be adopted in China. And finally, it offers a more inclusive polity.

Keywords

Consensus, Consensus Voting, Modified Borda Count (MBC), Power-Sharing

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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