Comparing participation in China to the participatory discourse in development studies

Abstract

Participation has been an important buzzword in international development discourse in recent decades. Despite the conventional view that participation is not possible within an authoritarian political system, participation has also been an important buzzword within China. People might argue that participation in China is very different from participation elsewhere in the ‘South’ and from the meaning implied in international development studies. To examine this contention, it is important to examine the meaning and uses of ‘participation’ in the Chinese context, from political campaigns and activities in the Republican era (1920-1949), to revolutionary activities in the Maoist era (1949-1977), and to various participatory practices that have emerged in the post-Maoist ‘reform’ period (1978 to present)