Debate Society held its second roundtable discussion of the semester on May 6th, with honorable guest Professor Daniel Bell leading a dynamic conversation on the topic of reconciling democracy and meritocracy as a potential new path for reshaping the Chinese political model. Professor Bell, expert in Confucian thought and political philosophy, is one of the few Western academics in China who has spent decades engaging in bold intellectual experiments involving a comprehensive overturn of the current political system, but not without a deep understanding of Chinese culture and society—his fluency in Mandarin is surely also an asset. Students from both the School of Public Policy & Management and the International Relations Department brought many questions to the table and challenged Bell’s views with experiences from different countries, such as Singapore and Switzerland. The event was held by Professor Chen Ling from SPPM.
By Alice Xia, SPPM
