Analysis On Several Issues Of Public Participation In Legislation

Legislation is an important part of a state's political life; popular sovereignty and participatory democracy provide theoretical foundation for public participation in legislation. As a socialist state, China takes popular sovereignty as a cardinal principle in its constitution, therefore, public participation in legislation is essential to socialist democracy, and is of great significance for China's building of a socialist country under the rule of law and a harmonious society. Western countries are relatively more experienced in both system building and practice of public participation in legislation. Though China has made much headway in system building and practice of public participation in legislation, there still remains a large room for improvement. In order to promote its public participation in legislation in an organized manner, China should learn from its western counterparts, but more importantly, new approaches to public participation in legislation should also be explored based on China's national conditions; meanwhile, public awareness of participation should be enhanced, legislative concepts should be updated, so as to pave the way for public participation.