Legislative Activism and Effectiveness of Provincial Delegates at the 1998 NPC

Abstract

In post-Mao China, the deputies to the National People`s Congress (NPC) became more active in shaping the legislative agenda by sponsoring a larger number of motions at the NPC sessions. Using the First Session of the Seventh NPC in 1988 as a case study, this analysis examines the patterns of motion sponsorship in the 1980s. The analysis dissects the distribution of the number of sponsors as well as the functional areas of both these motions and of others submitted to special committees. It also examines and tests explanations for the regional and provincial differences in the levels of activism in sponsoring motions and the relative effectiveness in getting the special committees to review their motions. The study finds that provinces that contribute more revenue to the center were both more active and effective in motion sponsorship, and that the members of the special committees appeared not to favor the provinces where they served before their committee appointment.