Resumen de China's Constitutional Entrepreneurs

Mark Jia

• This Article revisits citizen activism in the Hu Jintao era, focusing on the use of constitutional argument to influence state action. It finds that constitutional discourse has been a key part of an advocacy strategy through which ordinary citizens have achieved disproportionate policy influence. When employed as part of a broader model of policy entrepreneurship, characterized by the use of selective targeting and popular mobilization, efforts to reframe policies in constitutional terms have led to concrete policy changeâ–”a rare but notable feat in an authoritarian system that is generally unencumbered by constitutional constraints. Though recent policies have chilled this style of advocacy, they are not fated to do so forever. The era of Chinaâ–™s constitutional entrepreneurs may not yet be over.