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

Decentralized Authoritarianism in China: The Communist Party’s Control of Local Elites in the Post-Mao Era
by Pierre F. Landry (Author)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press; Illustrated edition (16 Oct. 2008)
Language: English
Hardcover: 316 pages
ISBN-10: 0521882354
ISBN-13: 9780521882354
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Book Description
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.