Deputy-voter Direct Contact in Local People's Congress: Evidence from a Case-oriented Content Analysis

Direct contact (face-to-face, instant contact) and indirect contact (via email or other forms of indirect contact) constitute two major types of deputy-voter contact. This case-oriented research explores the general patterns and trends of recent deputy-voter direct contact in local People's Congress. Cases presented by People's Congress journals and the National People's Congress webpage articles suggest that the direct contact in local People's Congress is featured by a loose control from the central authority (National People's Congress) and local People's Congress' active institutional experiment. In general, further developments of the contact rely on patterns and strength of institutional support; to what extent do Local People's Congress leaders (Chairman of the Standing Committee in particular) and staff members recognize the importance of such contact; deputies' willingness to practice their representativeness.