Personal Backgrounds, Constituency Demands and Policy Issues Raised by Deputies of China's National People's Congress

Abstract

Abstract: Research on China's legislators has seldom explained the types of policy issues raised by legislators and has rarely demonstrated the influence of constituencies. This article reveals that National People's Congress deputies whose personal backgrounds are closely associated with specific types of policy issues or whose constituencies have stronger demands regarding these issues usually submit more proposals pertaining to the issues. Furthermore, negative interactive effects exist between deputies' personal backgrounds as farmers or members of ethnic minorities and constituency demands corresponding to rural or ethnic minority issues on the relevant proposals that they raise. These findings further indicate how information is transmitted by China's legislators without a strong electoral connection.