Public participation in local governance: formal and deliberative institutions

During the last few decades in China, rapid urbanization, rural to urban migration, class polarization and an increasing wealth gap have left local government with challenging social issues, and yet limited fiscal, physical and human resources capacity. Political inclusion is one way of reinforcing government legitimacy when all other indicators. While inclusive mechanisms were not previously a major part of the local policy process in China, potentially facing a legitimacy crisis, local governments began experimenting with participatory governance. Policy innovation and experimentation is a tool that renders the CCP adaptable to major socioeconomic and governance challenges. Consequently, China’s local governments have designed - either by themselves, or under the guidance of the central government, a number of participatory institutions. These institutions differ from one another in terms of their end-goals, and the mechanisms to achieve these goals, and citizen engagement is also varied.