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From the Co-Editors Bo
LI & Li-an ZHOU In this issue of "Perspectives," we continue the discussion on the rule of law and its relevance for China. We are pleased to publish Hongming Xiao's article, which offers an insider's view on the gradual opening-up of China's legal services market and the possible impact of China's entry into the WTO on this process. Mr. Xiao, currently visiting New York University Law School, was a former division chief in the Legal Practitioner's Department in the Ministry of Justice of China. In the second part of his essay entitled "China and Rule of Law," Professor Peerenboom explores the prospect of rule of law in China, viewed from the distinction between substantive theories of rule of law and formal theories of rule of law. The first part of his essay was published in the April issue of this journal. Also in this issue, Dr. Bo Li discusses liberal constitutionalism in an attempt to understand the institutional arrangements that make the rule of law possible. In the second part of their article, Professors Jeffrey Sachs, Wing Thye Woo and Xiaokai Yang focus on the significance of constitutional transition (or the lack thereof) on China's economic reforms. We have more to share with you in this issue. The emergence of the Internet raises questions about the necessity of political parties for the proper functioning of democracy in the electronic age. Do we really not need political parties any more? Hongwu Ouyang addresses the relationship between political parties and the consolidation of democracy with special reference to Russia. Finally, in a summary of her dissertation, Dr. Xiaowei Luo conducts a sociological study of the puzzles associated with the rise of personal development training in organizations in the United States. We particularly want to thank Catherine Ying, our newly appointed Managing Editor, for her energy, dedication and hard work on this issue of "Perspectives." We hope that you enjoy reading the articles here. We are also looking forward to hearing your comments, critiques and suggestions on this publication. Please feel free to write to us at bo_li@post.harvard.edu and zhoula@leland.stanford.edu. |