Tag
China local governments
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The Real Roots of Formalism in Chinese Bureaucracy
By Zhuoran Li
Xi blames local leaders’ “lack of responsibility” as the root of formalism. However, interviews with local cadres suggest otherwise
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Changing Cadre Incentives: The Untold Story of China’s Economic Challenge
By Zhuoran Li
Changes in the local cadre incentive structure are a crucial yet often overlooked factor in the performance of the Chinese economy.
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The Real Challenge to the CCP’s Third Plenum Vision
By Zhuoran Li
Competition and friction between China’s different levels of government is going to complicate implementation of the reform agenda.
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China’s EV Overcapacity Is Inevitable
By Zhuoran Li
China’s local governments have a strong interest in ensuring the survival and success of local car factories – regardless of market conditions.
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China’s Third Plenum Shines Light on Center-Local Fiscal Challenges
By Jennifer Lee
China watchers should temper their expectations and anticipate incremental changes building off of existing policy rather than deep reform.
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The Power – and Limits – of Xi Jinping
By Zhuoran Li
Xi may have more power than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, but even he can’t fully implement his policy preferences.
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China’s Lackluster Vaccination Drive: A Tale of Local Cadre Incentives
By Zhuoran Li
Why was China’s vaccination campaign so little, so late? The key lies in understanding cadres’ daily working routine under Xi Jinping.
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China Suddenly Abandoned Its Zero COVID Policy. How Did It Start In The First Place?
By Ceren Ergenc
We tend to think China has a strict, top-down COVID-19 policy, but local variation is what really shaped the outcome, from beginning to end.
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Why Xi Jinping’s China Will Clamp Down Harder on Domestic Criticism
By Corey Lee Bell
The COVID-19 protests took aim at Xi personally – arguably a result of his high-profile moves to exert firm control over all levels of government.
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How Beijing Accidentally Ended the Zero COVID Policy
By Zhuoran Li
China’s central government aimed to modify the zero COVID policy incrementally following the 20th Party Congress. What went wrong?
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China’s Performative Zero-COVID Policy
By Zhuoran Li
To bolster their standing during the pandemic, local cadres are putting a new twist on the concept of performative governance.
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China’s ‘Fragmented Authoritarianism’ During the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Zhenze Huang
China’s pandemic response has been heavily mediated by the always-complex relationship between central and local governments.
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