Professor Joel Migdal delivered his second academic lecture “THE PUBLIC: INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION” on March 12 at PKU, which hosted by Professor Yu Keping, Dean of the School of Government.

　　In this lecture, Migdal explored the deeper meaning of “public” and argued that it was an important element in understanding the relations among different segments of society and between society and the state. In his argument, the public indicated with whom people engaged, what rules they used for that engagement, how they expressed conflicting interests, and how they resolved their differences. In an urban society, rules for everyday relations and discourse development. The lecture asked who made these rules—who did they favor? Who was disadvantaged by the rules—who was excluded? And how did these rules change over time?