Research On The Political Participation Of New-generation Migrant Workers And The Corresponding Government Responsibilities

With the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization in China, migrant workers flooded into cities as a huge social group and the new-generation migrant workers born after the national policy of reform and opening-up has now become the main part of the migrant workers. This social group is characterized by the ever-increasing awareness of their rights; therefore, the political participation of this huge and special social group will have a direct influence on the progress of political democracy as well as the social harmony and stability in our country. These new-generation migrant workers are characteristic of multiple social attributes due to the fact that they act as the constructors in the cities and at the same time they have close relation to rural areas and arable land. In spite of their longing for a new life, however, they are frequently confronted with confusions and setbacks from the social reality. Constrained by our national conditions, social institutions as well as their own qualities and ideas, the new-generation migrant workers has actually become "politically-marginalized persons" since they could not effectively enjoy the rights of political participation, leaving them lack of access to participation in political life in both rural areas and urban areas. Ensuring the migrant workers to enjoy equal rights for the same work with citizens, to integrate into city life, to participate in city affairs and to enjoy the fruits of development is the expectation and appeal of the whole country. It cannot be possible for the migrant workers to participate in political affairs orderly without the guidance and management of the government. Taking the new-generation migrant workers in Fuyang city, Anhui province as a case study, this thesis analyzes both positive side and negative side of the current situation of new-generation migrant workers'political participation and the relevant constraining factors, and then put forward the solution to this problem:the government should undertake due responsibilities in promoting migrant worker's orderly political participation. The government should improve the mechanism of new-generation migrant workers' political participation, enhance their overall qualities in participating in political affairs, raise the degree of their organized political participation, broaden the channels for voicing their rights, optimize the relevant economic, cultural and legal environment of their political participation, and start household registration system reform so as to remove various kinds of barriers to their political participation and to enable the migrant workers to share the public services in cities.