Meritocracy or patronage? : political foundations of China's economic transition / Fubing Su and Ran Tao.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Su, Fubing, author.

Tao, Ran (Professor of economics), author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in Chinese economy and governance 2976-5625

Cambridge elements. Elements in Chinese economy and governance, 2976-5625

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

China--Politics and government--1976-2002.

China.

China--Politics and government--2002-.

Economic development--Political aspects--China--History--20th century.

Economic development.

Economic development--Political aspects--China--History--21st century.

Patronage, Political--China--History--20th century.

Patronage, Political.

Patronage, Political--China--History--21st century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (91 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press, [2024]

Summary:

This study interrogates the theoretical and empirical validities of two dominant theories about Chinese state in the post-Mao period. The authors argue that the meritocratic view has under-theorized the innate contradiction between officials' personal competence and political loyalty. In order to survive political struggles, political leaders need to rely on patronage networks to recruit followers and solidify trust, often at the expense of official competence. The popular view also misrepresents China's cadre assessment system in several important ways. The authors supplement this theoretical and anecdotal evidence with a systematic study of provincial level officials between 1978 and 2020. Contrary to the meritocratic view, leaders' economic performance does not increase their promotion chances. Work ties with central leaders, on the other hand, have provided provincial officials with advantage in promotion. This study contributes to general theories of autocratic state and inform the debate about autocratic growth in the political economy literature

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on November 29, 2024).

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781009507950

1009507958

9781009507981

1009507982

9781009507967

1009507966