Computational Social Sciences Workshop: Becoming the Model of “One Country, Two Systems”: A Study of Executive-Legislative Relations in Macau, 1999—2023
Speaker: Prof. Daina CHIBA, Associate Professor, Department of Government and Public Administration, University of Macau
Date：27 Mar 2024 (Wed)
Time：14:00
Venue: E2B-G016
Register: https://forms.gle/uggbzNPzqdAtPhG58
Abstract: This paper investigates the dynamics of executive and legislative interaction within a unique Chinese city – the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR). Our analysis draws on a comprehensive examination of all the bills submitted to the Macau SAR’s Legislative Assembly between 1999 and 2023 and all available roll call voting records. From the statistical analyses of the legislative activities, we derive three primary insights. First, even with the institutional provision for a checks-and-balances system, the legislature’s gate-keeping power has been directed primarily against itself rather than the executive. During the studied period, 100% of the government-proposed bills were passed. This observation starkly contrasts with the higher levels of legislative contestation in the Hong Kong SAR. Second, through an analysis of roll-call voting, we identify clusters of legislators who cater to distinct constituencies. Lastly, synthesizing these findings, we reveal that the majority of executive-legislative contention in Macau SAR transpires more between the government and pro-establishment legislators than between the government and pro-democracy legislators. This dynamic elucidates why Macau SAR is often hailed as the exemplar of the “One Country, Two Systems” model.
It’s a joint work with two colleagues in DGPA, Meng U Ieong and Jiying Jiang
