Political and ethnic representation in Chinese local governance : analysis of the roles of the deputies of Leishan County People's Congress, Guizhou Province, China : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies, Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
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2016
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Massey University
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Abstract
This thesis investigates the political and ethnic environment of local Chinese political actors
and their representational dilemmas in the Miao-dominant area of Leishan County, Guizhou
Province, China. The investigation is conducted via two research questions: how do the
deputies of a Miao County People‘s Congress in China play their roles in representing the
interests of the state towards the community, and how do they represent the interests of the
community towards the state? The achievements of the deputies and the challenges they face
in their dual representational roles are a focus of the analysis. The thesis provides insight into
the governance and politics of a local government body dominated by an ethnic minority and
the interplay of these dynamics with central government authorities presided over by Han
Chinese.
The representative structure of the Leishan County People‘s Congress (LCPC) and its deputy
membership is explored to understand how the deputies enact their roles in promoting,
intervening in and restructuring development projects as both agents of and remonstrators to
the central state. Case studies of village governance and cultural tourism are used to illustrate
how the LCPC deputies are both coordinators and negotiators in a polycentric local
governance structure.
The fieldwork was carried out in the ethnic area of Leishan County. Relevant data was
collected through four interrelated research methods: focus groups, semi-structured individual
interviews, purposive observation and document analysis. The quantification of pairwise
ranking by the focus groups highlighted the achievements and challenges in the key functions
required of the deputies. The data also led to two further areas for in-depth analysis: centrallocal
relations, and the political and ethnic representation of the deputies.
The research found that when conflicts exist, political representation that favours the state
prevails over community interests. At the same time, the deputies‘ representation of their
ethnic communities is enhanced and augmented when they undertake to localise the national
development policies and projects handed down by central authorities. Finally, the concept of
polycentric governance enables a more precise understanding of the changing local
governance systems in China among the diverse stakeholders present in the ethnic
communities.
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Keywords
Hmong, Miao, Government relations, Politics and government, Local government, Guizhou Sheng, Guizhou Province, China