Decentralized Authoritarianism in China: The Communist Party's Control of Local Elites in the Post-Mao Era

by Pierre F. Landry

• ISBN13: 9780521882354
• ISBN10: 0521882354
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-16
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

China, like many authoritarian regimes, struggles with the tension between the need to foster economic development by empowering local officials and the regime's imperative to control them politically. Landry explores how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) manages local officials in order to meet these goals and perpetuate an unusually decentralized authoritarian regime. Using unique data collected at the municipal, county, and village level, Landry examines in detail how the promotion mechanisms for local cadres have allowed the CCP to reward officials for the development of their localities without weakening political control. His research shows that the CCP's personnel management system is a key factor in explaining China's enduring authoritarianism and proves convincingly that decentralization and authoritarianism can work hand in hand.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	p. vi
List of Figures	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
List of Abbreviations	p. xvii
Authoritarianism and Decentralization	p. 1
The Political Origins of Decentralization	p. 28
The Relationship between Decentralization and Political Regimes	p. 33
Organizing Decentralization	p. 37
Promoting High-Level Generalists: The Management of Mayors	p. 80
Organizational Power: The View from Within	p. 116
Designing the Jiangsu Elite Study	p. 152
Explaining Cadre Rank	p. 162
The Cadre Promotion Model	p. 206
The Impact of Village Elections on the Appointment of Party Branch Secretaries	p. 221
Conclusion	p. 257
References	p. 269
Index	p. 291
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