Public Participation and State Building in China

<p>This book explores non-electoral means of public participation in contemporary</p><p>China both as an outcome of and a key contributor to the party-state’s</p><p>efforts to improve its governing capacity.</p><p>Examining consultative meetings public hearings and the use of surveys</p><p>and questionnaires in Zhejiang province on an empirical level the study</p><p>evaluates the historical development and institutional backgrounds of these</p><p>mechanisms as well as provides a critical assessment of their achievements</p><p>and failures. At the same time on a theoretical level this book contributes</p><p>to the broader scholarship on contemporary Chinese politics and political</p><p>development within one-party regimes as well as debates about state building</p><p>and democratisation. Relying on the distinction between access to and</p><p>exercise of power it concludes that non-electoral public participation is in</p><p>fact a function of state building. Developing a state capable of producing</p><p>effective solutions to governing challenges it is argued requires public participation</p><p>in the governing process.</p><p>With analysis informed by interviews with local-level policy-makers and</p><p>officials academics and citizens’ representatives and activists <i>Public Participation</i></p><p>and State Building in China will be a valuable research resource for</p><p>students and scholars of Chinese politics political science and civil society.</p>