Transcript Chinese Political System - Howard Spendelow' s Homepage

The Nuts and Bolts
of the Chinese
Political System
Bruce Dickson
George Washington University
The Chinese Communist Party

75 million members
– About 6% of population

Criteria for recruitment
– Education
– Age
– Gender
– Urban bias

Most key positions held by CCP members
Central Party Institutions
National Party Congress (> 2000)
Central Party Institutions
Central Committee (200)
National Party Congress (> 2000)
Central Party Institutions
Politburo (25)
Central Committee (200)
National Party Congress (> 2000)
Central Party Institutions
Politburo Standing Committee (9)
Politburo (25)
Central Committee (200)
National Party Congress (> 2000)
Central Party Institutions
General Secretary
Politburo Standing Committee (9)
Politburo (25)
Central Committee (200)
National Party Congress (> 2000)
CCP General Secretary HU Jintao
Political “Generations” in China
Mao Zedong
Deng Xiaoping
Jiang Zemin
Fourth Generation
Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao
Fifth Generation
Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang
Chinese Party Institutions
CCP
General Secretary
Standing Committee
Politburo
Central Committee
Provincial Party
Committees
Local Party
Committees
Chinese Political System
CCP
General Secretary
National People’s
Congress
Standing Committee
Politburo
Central Committee
Prime Minister
State Council
Chinese legislators at work
Chinese legislators at work
Chinese legislators at work
Chinese Political System
CCP
General Secretary
National People’s
Congress
Standing Committee
Politburo
Central Committee
Prime Minister
State Council
Prime Minister WEN Jiabao
Chinese Political System
CCP
General Secretary
National People’s
Congress
Standing Committee
Politburo
Central Committee
Prime Minister
State Council
Provincial People’s
Congresses
Provincial Party
Committees
Provincial
Governments
Local People’s
Congresses
Local Party
Committees
Local Governments
Chinese Political System
CCP
General Secretary
President
National People’s
Congress
Standing Committee
Politburo
Central Committee
Prime Minister
State Council
Provincial People’s
Congresses
Provincial Party
Committees
Provincial
Governments
Local People’s
Congresses
Local Party
Committees
Local Governments
CCP’s bid for legitimacy


“Performance Legitimacy”
Growth
China's Economic Growth, 1978-2007
2000
16
1800
14
1600
10
1200
1000
8
800
6
600
4
400
2
200
20
07
20
02
19
97
19
92
19
87
0
19
82
0
% growth
1400
19
78
per capita GDP
12
per cap GDP
annual growth rate
CCP’s bid for legitimacy



“Performance Legitimacy”
Growth
Nationalism
– Pride in economic accomplishments and
growing role in international community
– Preserve national unity
– “Century of humiliation”
CCP’s bid for legitimacy




“Performance Legitimacy”
Growth
Nationalism
Maintain political order
– Traditional concern for stability
– Rising protests around country
– Concerns about migrant workers
Challenges to CCP’s
legitimacy



Economic
– Inequality
– Corruption
– Pollution
– Current economic slowdown
– Rising aspirations?
Nationalism
– Both elite driven and popular nationalism
Order
– Most protests are direct if unintended
consequence of pro-growth policies
– How to balance growth and stability?
CCP’s Strategy for Survival

Coercion
– A hallmark of any authoritarian regime
– But costly
CCP’s Strategy for Survival


Coercion
Co-optation
– Potential threats
– New talent needed for policy goals
– Chinese universities are now main
recruitment areas for CCP
– “Three Represents”
CCP’s Strategy for Survival



Coercion
Co-optation
Limit the flow of information
– Media
– Internet
– Prevent their use for political purposes,
but make them available for leisure and
especially economic purposes
CCP’s Strategy for Survival




Coercion
Co-optation
Limit the flow of information
Raise the cost of collective action
– CCP monopoly on political organization
– Protests are local, material demands
Prospects for change




Despite the many problems linked to
economic development, CCP remains
popular
Most Chinese optimistic about future
No viable alternative
Will change come from within the
party or from society?