Elite Conflicts and the Path to Economic Decentralization

Dong Zhang, Victor Shih, Mingxing Liu

ISBN 10: 1009544780 / ISBN 13: 9781009544788

Published by Cambridge University Press, GB, 2025

About this Item

Why would a politically centralized state embark on the path of economic decentralization? This Element delves into the political origin of the puzzling economic decentralization in mainland China. The authors contend that the intra-elite conflicts between the authoritarian ruler and the ruling elites within the state prompted the ruler to pursue decentralization as a strategy to curb the influence wielded by the ruling elites. By examining the composition of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, they find that the Cultural Revolution, fueled by elite conflicts, shifted the elite selectorate's composition from favoring central agencies to favoring local interests. Subsequent low turnover reinforced this shift, aligning elite incentives with decentralization policies and committing the Chinese leadership to a decentralized path in the 1980s. Additionally, Taiwan's economic liberalization under the Kuomintang's authoritarian rule provides further evidence of the link between ruling party elite composition and economic policy orientation.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781009544788

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Elite Conflicts and the Path to Economic Decentralization
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, GB
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1009544780
• ISBN 13: 9781009544788
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This Element sheds light on the intriguing political dynamics underlying the economic decentralization in China.