China local governments

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.

China’s central government aimed to modify the zero COVID policy incrementally following the 20th Party Congress. What went wrong?

To bolster their standing during the pandemic, local cadres are putting a new twist on the concept of performative governance.

China’s pandemic response has been heavily mediated by the always-complex relationship between central and local governments.

Mass mobilization has been key to Beijing’s pandemic strategy, but its continuation is undermining effective governance.

The CCP's approach to pandemic management incentivizes officials to double down on extreme measures without regard for the costs.

Attributing pandemic containment to “Beijing” is both wrong and right – and thus sheds light on China’s central-local governance.

The outbreak revealed long-standing deficiencies inside China’s local administrations, which may pose a threat to the credibility of local governments across the PRC.

Insights from Spencer Cohen.

Local level factors are weighing on China’s reform momentum.

China continues to struggle to wean its state-owned enterprises off their reliance on real estate.