1st Edition
The People's Congresses and Governance in China Toward a Network Mode of Governance
This book provides a balanced assessment of China’s communist rule, its viability as well as its prospect of democracy.
The People's Congresses and Governance in China presents a complex but convincing analysis of the transformation of governance in China. As the first systemic and theoretical study of China’s provincial legislatures, it draws our attention to one of the most promising growth points in China’s changing constitutional order. Through in depth and first hand research, the author provides a comprehensive explanation about why the provincial legislatures have acquired institutional maturation and expanded power in the context of Chinese transitional political economy. The book portrays an innovative pattern of legislative development, sums up pragmatic local strategies for market creation, and identifies multiple dynamics for promoting accountability and democracy. Based upon the case study of provincial legislatures, Ming Xia reveals the formation of a new mode of governance in China’s national politics: the network structure featuring institutional arrangements and the mohe (co-operation through competition) pattern of interaction abided by the major power players.
This volume will be of interest to parliamentary scholars and parliamentarians who are concerned with the role of parliaments in transitional politics and economies of both post-communist and developing countries. It will also appeal to students and researchers of Chinese politics, governance and Asian studies.
Profile of Provinces List of Tables and Figures Preface and Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations 1. Theme, Theory, and the Network Approach 2. The Institutionalization of the Provincial People’s Congresses 3. Institutional Linkages of the Provincial People’s Congresses 4. Elections and Circulation of Political Elite 5. Legislative Process and Consensual Politics of Local Legislation 6. State Failure, Market Failure, and Developmental Provincial People’s Congresses 7. Political Contestation and the PPC as Power Player 8. Legislatures and China's Democracy Appendices: 1. List of Interviewees 2. Electronic Resources for the People’s Congresses Works Cited 1. English 2. Chinese 3. Other Sources Index
Biography
Ming Xia is Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York, USA.
