The People’s Congress System: an Institutional Innovation of Democracy Based on China’s Realities
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Abstract
Mainstream Western democratic theories commonly use election and competition as the primary measure of representative legitimacy. However, these theories cannot adequately explain how China’s people’s congress system simultaneously achieves popular responsiveness, extensive political inclusion, and effective governance. Using a historical-normative analytical framework, this study traces the system’s emergence and evolution from China’s historical and social backgrounds, revealing how it balances popular sovereignty with effective governance while creating a distinctive legitimacy framework. This study finds that the people’s congress system integrates historical legitimacy, substantive representation, and political responsiveness into a new model of democratic governance, which fulfils the formal requirements of electoral democracy for the exercise of rights while also meeting people’s expectations for substantive democratic outcomes and governing effectiveness. China’s practical experience in developing the people’s congress system provides fresh perspectives for the diversity of global democratic theories while offering empirical reference for other countries seeking to balance democratic responsiveness with efficient governance.
Keywords: People’s Congress System; Democratic System; People as Masters of the Country; Non-Western Democracy; China’s Political System.
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