People First: The Core Value Dimension of Marxist Social Governance

The Communist Party of China insists on using Marxism to guide the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and upholding the people-centered nature of national governance is the Party’s consistent principled stance. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, on the basis of inheriting and developing the core implications of the Marxist view of social governance, has put forward a series of new ideas and new viewpoints on social governance. The 20th National Congress of the CPC put forward the new thesis of “improving the social governance system of joint contribution, joint governance and shared benefits, and enhancing the effectiveness of social governance,” scientifically answering the Chinese-path modernization social governance questions of “who governs,” “how to govern,” and “who enjoys the fruits of governance,” fundamentally manifesting the value stance of “people first.”

中国共产党坚持用马克思主义指导国家治理体系和治理能力现代化建设，坚持国家治理的人民性是党一贯的原则立场。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央，在继承并发展马克思主义社会治理观的核心意涵的基础之上，提出一系列社会治理的新思想新观点。党的二十大提出“健全共建共治共享的社会治理制度，提升社会治理效能”的新论断，科学回答了“谁来治理”“如何治理”以及“治理成果由谁享有”的中国式现代化社会治理命题，从根本上彰显了“人民至上”的价值立场。

Joint Contribution: Clarifying the Subject of Governance

共建：明确治理主体

Socialist social governance with Chinese characteristics insists on joint contribution, which means clearly taking the people as the subject of social governance, with every person bearing the mission and responsibility of social governance. Marxist social governance is a collective practical activity carried out for common interests, according to a common plan, and with the common participation of all members of society. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that all governance activities of the People’s Republic of China must respect the principal position of the people, respect the people’s pioneering spirit, and learn from the people. First, the people are the value subject of social governance; it is necessary to be people-centered, carry out all work of social governance, and focus on solving livelihood issues related to the people. Second, the people are the construction subject of social governance; the people’s status as masters of the country should be emphasized and publicized, and the people’s sense of responsibility for participating in social governance should be strengthened.

中国特色社会主义社会治理坚持共建，就是明确把人民作为社会治理的主体，人人负有社会治理的使命和责任。马克思主义社会治理是为了共同利益、按照共同计划、在社会全体成员的共同参与下的集体性实践活动。习近平总书记指出，中华人民共和国的一切治理活动，都要尊重人民主体地位，尊重人民首创精神，拜人民为师。其一，人民是社会治理的价值主体，必须以人民为中心，开展社会治理的各项工作，重点解决好与人民相关的民生问题。其二，人民是社会治理的建设主体，应重视和宣传人民的主人翁地位，强化人民参与社会治理的责任意识。

Respecting the people’s principal position in social governance is a choice of history and, moreover, a concentrated expression of the Party’s fundamental purpose. The masses of the people are the creators of history. In the more than one hundred years since its founding, the experience and secret of the CPC’s perpetual youth has been to always take the masses of the people as the source of wisdom and strength. Entering the New Era, the principal contradiction in Chinese society has been transformed into the contradiction between the people’s ever-growing need for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development. Continuously meeting the people’s need for a better life is the original aspiration and founding mission of the CPC, and it has also become a key issue that social governance urgently needs to solve. Currently, in the face of the differentiation of social contradictions and the diversity of interests, the government needs to uphold the people-centered basic stance, consolidate social consensus, draw the largest concentric circle of society [1]1 The “largest concentric circle” is a metaphor used, construct mechanisms for coordinating interests, practice the glorious mission of serving the people, and effectively solve the most concerned, most direct, and most realistic urgent, difficult, and anxious problems of the people. Continuously improve the social governance system and mechanisms, and maximize the mobilization of the people’s enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity in participating in social governance. Strengthen the forces of mass prevention and mass governance [2], shape the concept of a social governance community where everyone has responsibility, and stimulate the sense of ownership where everyone fulfills their duty.

尊重人民社会治理的主体地位，是历史的选择，更是党的根本宗旨的集中体现。人民群众是历史的创造者。建党百余年来，中国共产党永葆青春的经验和秘诀，就是始终把人民群众作为智慧和力量的源泉。进入新时代，我国社会主要矛盾已经转化为人民日益增长的美好生活需要和不平衡不充分的发展之间的矛盾。不断满足人民对美好生活的需要是中国共产党的初心使命，也成为社会治理亟须解决的重点问题。当前，面对社会矛盾的分化和利益的多样性，政府需要秉持以人民为中心的基本立场，凝聚社会共识，画出社会最大同心圆，构建利益协调机制，践行服务人民的光荣使命，切实解决好人民最关心、最直接、最现实的急难愁盼问题。不断完善社会治理体制机制，最大限度调动人民群众参与社会治理的积极性、主动性、创造性。壮大群防、群治力量，塑造人人有责的社会治理共同体观念，激发人人尽责的主人翁意识。

Joint Governance: Characterizing the Mode of Governance

共治：表征治理样态

Socialist social governance with Chinese characteristics emphasizes joint governance, which means adhering to the overall leadership and dominant position of the CPC, with social members enjoying equal rights in social governance. First, in terms of governance philosophy, joint governance is a manifestation of the Party Central Committee’s governing philosophy shifting from social management to social governance. Social management takes people as administrative objects, while social governance takes problems as administrative objects; governance behavior changes from a single top-down management to management feedback between upper and lower levels and two-way interaction between mass organizations and institutions; social roles shift from the opposition of a “you and me” relationship to the generation of a new social role of “we.” Second, in terms of governance mode, joint governance incorporates political parties, government, social organizations, the public, and individuals into the broad process of participating in social governance, emphasizing the provision of refined services to society, taking serving society and the masses as the governance goal, taking the realization of the people’s common interests and good social governance as the fundamental purpose, and striving to build a service-oriented government.

中国特色社会主义社会治理强调共治，是坚持中国共产党的全面领导和主导地位，社会成员享有平等的社会治理权利。其一，就治理理念而言，共治是党中央执政理念从社会管理转向社会治理的体现。社会管理以人为行政对象，社会治理则以问题为行政对象，治理行为从上级对下级的单一管理转变为上下级之间的管理反馈、群团组织与机构之间的双向互动，社会角色从“你和我”关系的对立转向“我们”新社会角色的生成。其二，就治理样态而言，共治将政党、政府、社会组织、公众及其个人均纳入广泛参与社会治理过程，强调为社会提供精细化服务，以服务社会、服务大众为治理目标，以人民的共同利益实现和社会善治为根本目的，着力建设服务型政府。

Joint governance is an inevitable choice for凝聚不同诉求、协调利益归属 [3], and it is also a governance mechanism for maintaining social fairness and justice. Currently, China has entered a critical period of comprehensively advancing the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. Further comprehensively deepening reform faces the challenge of unbalanced and inadequate social development, urgently needing to meet the new expectations of the people, and the difficulty of social governance has increased unprecedentedly. Therefore, to achieve joint governance, it is necessary to adhere to the CPC’s leading core position in social governance work. To achieve joint governance, it is necessary to adhere to the overarching position of the Party’s leadership, with the subjects of social governance closely united around the Party Central Committee, forming a pluralistic governance system under one core. Construct a governance plan that unifies democracy-based centralism and centralism-guided democracy [4]. Under the leadership of the CPC, build a collaborative governance framework, integrate social governance resources from all sides, and enable organizations at all levels and various social groups to display their strengths under the Party’s leadership. The “Fengqiao Experience” [5] in the New Era, as an application in grassroots social governance of joint governance, adheres to the collaborative model under the leadership of Party building, becoming a model of mutually beneficial and symbiotic good social governance.

共治是凝聚不同诉求、协调利益归属的必然选择，更是维护社会公平正义的治理机制。当前，中国进入以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的关键期，进一步全面深化改革面临着社会发展不平衡不充分的挑战，亟须满足人民群众新期待，社会治理的难度空前加大。为此，实现共治，必须坚持中国共产党在社会治理工作中的领导核心地位。实现共治，必须坚持党的领导的统领性地位，社会治理主体紧密团结在党中央周围，形成一个核心之下的多元治理体系。构建民主基础上的集中和集中指导下的民主相统一的治理方案。在中国共产党的领导之下，搭建协同治理架构，整合社会各方治理资源，促使各级组织、各类社会群体能够在党的领导下各展其长。新时代“枫桥经验”作为共治基层社会治理中的应用，坚持党建引领下的协作模式，成为互惠共生型社会善治的典范。

Shared Benefits: Manifesting the Effects of Governance

共享：彰显治理效果

Socialist social governance with Chinese characteristics insists on shared benefits, referring to the value goal of the people sharing the fruits of social governance. Adhering to shared benefits for all the people: first, the subjects and content of sharing are fully inclusive. The people, as the beneficiaries of governance outcomes, regardless of region or ethnicity, equally enjoy the fruits of governance. The content of sharing is the people’s pursuit of a better life, including sharing the civilized achievements of the country in economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological aspects, ensuring that the people enjoy all legitimate rights and interests. Second, the path of sharing presents a “process-result” participatory orientation. The people contribute their best in “joint contribution” and “joint governance,” and then each gets their due in “shared benefits”; this realization process is gradual, phased, and a process from imbalance to balance.

中国特色社会主义社会治理坚持共享，指涉社会治理成果由人民共享的价值目标。坚持全民共享，其一，共享的主体和内容具有全覆盖性。人民作为治理成果受益主体，不分地域、民族，人人平等享有治理成果。共享的内容是人民对美好生活的追求，包括共享国家经济、政治、文化、社会、生态各方面文明成果，保障人民享有一切合法权益。其二，共享的路径呈现“过程—结果”参与导向性。人民在“共建”“共治”中各尽其能，而后在“共享”中各得其所，这一实现过程是渐次性、阶段性的、从不均衡到均衡的过程。

Promoting the realization of the people sharing the fruits of social governance must comprehensively advance the practice of building a strong country through Chinese-path modernization. Along with the modernization process, problems such as unbalanced regional development, insufficient supply of basic public services, and differences in residents’ living standards have become practical obstacles affecting the people’s sharing of the fruits of social governance. Therefore, for modern social governance, the key to achieving shared benefits is to solve the problems of production, distribution, and security from the supply side. Further liberate and develop social productive forces, stimulate and enhance social vitality, develop new quality productive forces, promote high-quality economic and social development, and thicken the material foundation of social governance; adhere to the principle of distribution according to work as the mainstay and the coexistence of multiple modes of distribution, construct a coordinated and matched institutional system of primary distribution, redistribution, and tertiary distribution, adhere to the ethical principle of distributive justice, and improve mechanisms for coordinating interests and sharing; formulate and improve relevant laws and regulations, and effectively ensure the people’s equal right to participate in social governance and enjoy the fruits of social governance.

推动实现社会治理成果由人民共享，必须以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设实践。伴随着现代化进程，地区发展不平衡、基本公共服务供给不足、居民生活水平差异等问题，成为影响社会治理成果由人民共享的现实梗阻。因此，于现代社会治理而言，实现共享的关键是从供给侧解决好生产、分配和保障问题。进一步解放和发展社会生产力，激发和增强社会活力，发展新质生产力，促进经济社会高质量发展，厚植社会治理的物质基础；坚持按劳分配为主体、多种分配方式并存，构建初次分配、再分配、第三次分配协调配套的制度体系，坚持分配正义的伦理原则，完善利益协调与共享的机制；制定和完善相关法律法规，切实保障人民平等享有参与社会治理、享受社会治理成果的权利。

(The authors are a lecturer at the School of Marxism, Hebei Agricultural University; and a professor at the School of Marxism, Dalian University of Technology.)

（作者系河北农业大学马克思主义学院讲师；大连理工大学马克思主义学院教授）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧