Islamic political thought and Chinese Governance : a comparative analysis

Abstract

Se presenta un análisis comparativo sobre el pensamiento político islámico y el sistema de gobernanza chino. Por un lado, la filosofía política islámica, derivada del Corán y el Hadith, propone los principios islámicos de control divino, justicia y consulta (shura) para calificar cualquier sistema de gobierno tanto a nivel moral como ético. Por otro lado, el gobierno chino se deriva del confucianismo, el legalismo y el socialismo, al abogar por un orden estricto, el control central y políticas realistas bajo el Partido Comunista Chino. Se realiza un análisis mixto (cuantitativo y cualitativo). Se extrae que el gobierno islámico promueve los valores religiosos y morales en los estados, lo que diversifica sus efectos, y que el gobierno chino se centra en el crecimiento económico y la estabilidad política. Se concluye que las premisas específicas de gobernanza china influyen en los modelos de las sociedades, tanto islámica como china.

This research paper seeks to compare the Islamic political thought and Chinese governance system by highlighting their theoretical background, development over the years, current usage and impact of governance system. Islamic political philosophy derived from the Quran and Hadith propounds the Islamic principles of divine control, justice and Consultation (shura) to qualify any system of governance at both moral as well as ethical level. Chinese governance, therefore, derives from Confucianism, Legalism, and Socialism in that it advocates for strict order, control from the centre, and sober-realist policies under the Chinese communist party (CCP). This study has included both the quantitative analysis of social stability, economic performance and perception of public satisfaction; as well as the qualitative assessment of political systems and ideologies to demonstrate the differences and similarities in two systems. Islamic governance enhances religious and moral values in states making its effects diverse. Chinese governance focusses on economic growth and political stability, satisfaction with government and economic growth rate is high in China. The paper argues that the comparison of such differences offers useful knowledge on the political regulation principles between various communities and indicates that future studies should investigate the effects of globalization and techno-scientific progress on these systems. By comparing the two cases, this paper provides insights into how specific premises of governance influence the models in the Islamic and Chinese societies.