Double trouble? Effects of social conflict and foreign investment on consultative authoritarianism in China

ABSTRACT It remains contested whether Chinese public consultation practices can be called local deliberative democracy or a sort of consultative authoritarianism. Yet, these different evaluations lack an appreciation of regional variations as well as underlying drivers. This study fills this gap by developing a political economy approach and constructing panel data of 36 Chinese cities over 12 years. Our study reveals that the functional purpose of appeasing social conflicts serves a key underlying incentive that drives China’s deliberative turn, yet heavier dependence on foreign investment in a local economy hinders public consultation. Content analysis of 3082 public hearing documents further shows that adoption of public hearings varies by regions with economically and politically advantaged municipalities being more likely to adopt consultative institutions for transparency. This study brings together the scholarship of contentious politics and deliberative politics while offering a nuanced understanding of regional differences of public consultation.