ABSTRACT

For a quarter century, China’s miraculous economic development has been accompanied by active and energetic People’s Congresses (PCs) at both the national and sub-national levels. This development indicates that the subordination of legislatures to the dominant executive and the absence of energetic, active legislatures have not necessarily become preconditions for Chinese economic development. Considering the lag of political democratization behind economic achievement in China, is it possible that legislatures, often regarded as democratizing agents, can be shaped to such an extent that they can play a transformative role in economic development, but at the same time, their democratic impact is suppressed or at least kept contained? The basic questions explored in this chapter are: How the Chinese local PCs (LPCs) have been actively involved in market creation?