Journal of Contemporary China最新文献

{"title":"Repenetrating the Rural Periphery: Party Building Under China’s Anti-Poverty Campaign","authors":"Haoyue Zhou, Jing Vivian Zhan","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2264794","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2264794","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTPost-Mao reforms ranging from de-collectivization to the abolition of agricultural taxes have eroded the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) control over the rural periphery. However, with an agenda to strengthen the CCP’s all-around control over the economy and society, the Xi Jinping era saw a reversal of the long-term trend. We argue that Xi’s high-profile anti-poverty campaign from 2015 to 2020 consisted of massive Party building attempts and served as an important strategy for the Party to repenetrate the rural periphery. Based on in-depth fieldwork, archival research, and secondary information sources, we show that by injecting human and financial resources into poverty regions, the CCP reinvigorated its previously underfunded and demoralized grassroots organs, expanded rural Party member recruitment, and enhanced the Party’s intervention in village affairs. Therefore, despite its seemingly economic nature, Xi’s anti-poverty campaign may lead to the long-lasting effect of Party power consolidation in the countryside. This finding suggests that authoritarian regimes can use campaigns with appealing policy goals to advance broader political agendas and enhance authoritarian resilience.KEYWORDS: CampaignChinaParty buildingsent-down cadrestargeted poverty alleviation Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Victor Nee, ‘A Theory of Market Transition: From Redistribution to Markets in State Socialism’, American Sociological Review 54(5), (1989), pp. 663–681; Feng Chen and Ting Gong, ‘Party versus Market in Post‐Mao China: The Erosion of the Leninist Organization from Below’, Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics 13(3), (1997), pp. 148–166; Andrew J. Nathan, ‘Authoritarian Resilience’, Journal of Democracy 14(1), (2003), pp. 6–17.2 David Shambaugh, China’s Communist Party: Atrophy and Adaptation (University of California Press 2008); Daniel Koss, ‘Party Building as Institutional Bricolage: Asserting Authority at the Business Frontier’, The China Quarterly 248, (2021), pp. 1–22.3 Patricia M. Thornton, ‘The Advance of the Party: Transformation or Takeover of Urban Grassroots Society?’, The China Quarterly 213, (2013), pp. 1–18; Xiaojun Yan and Jie Huang, ‘Navigating Unknown Waters: The Chinese Communist Party’s New Presence in the Private Sector’, The China Review 17(2), (2017), pp. 37–63.4 Yansui Liu et al., ‘The Process and Driving Forces of Rural Hollowing in China under Rapid Urbanization’, Journal of Geographical Sciences 20(6), (2010), pp. 876–888.5 The field research sites were not randomly sampled. We selected these poverty areas in coastal and inland areas with varying degrees of development and yet under the same pressure of rural poverty reduction, where we could closely observe the TPA campaign and access candid and reliable interviewees. Although most of the interviews mentioned in the empirical analysis were from Shandong Province, the phenomena discussed were observ","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":"88 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135829107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Digital Governance in China: Dispute Settlement and Stability Maintenance in the Digital Age","authors":"Jieren Hu, Xingmei Zhang","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2261877","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2261877","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTDrawing on intensive fieldwork conducted in China from 2019 to 2022, this article argues that the Chinese Communist Party is now widely applying a mode of digital governance to contain social grievances and strengthen social stability. Although digital technology itself does help facilitate dispute resolution and stability maintenance by more effectively defusing collective actions and preventing/settling social disputes, the political system and power structure under authoritarianism, to a larger extent, shapes and affects the operation and outcome of digital governance. Even though the party-state is committed to rule by law and promoting a digital governance ‘by law and policy’, the ‘state of exception’ is invoked when it has to rely on digital governance ‘beyond law and policy’ in order to serve the necessity of consolidating its political power and ruling base when social stability is threatened. However, this approach not only fails to construct an accountable state image but may also lead to counterproductive outcomes. The study of digital governance in China adds new elements to the explanation of the condition for a ‘state of exception’ under authoritarianism and also answers why the Chinese government tries to prevent and settle disputes while keeping creating them in the digital age.KEYWORDS: Digital governancedigital technologythe state of exceptiondispute resolutionstability maintenanceChina AcknowledgementThe authors are grateful for Askan Weidemann’s help in publishing this article.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Yongshun Cai, ‘Power Structure and Regime Resilience: Contentious Politics in China’, British Journal of Political Science 38(3) (2008), pp. 411–432.2 Jieren Hu and Ying Wu, ‘Source Governance of Social Disputes in China’, Critical Asian Studies 55(3) (2023), pp. 354–376; Huang-Chih Sung, ‘Can Online Courts Promote Access to Justice? A Case Study of the Internet Court in China’, Computer Law & Security Review 39 (2020), pp. 3–8; Straton Papagianneas, ‘Automation and Digitalization of Justice in China’s Smart Court Systems’, China Brief 21 (2021), pp. 14–20; Hengyao Han, ‘论中国的线上纠纷解决机制(ODR): “网上枫桥经验”的探索与发展’ (On China’s Online Dispute Resolution Mechanism (ODR): Exploration and Development of ‘Online Fengqiao’ Experience), Shoudu Shifandaxue Xuebao (Journal of Capital Normal University) 2 (2021), pp. 70–78.3 Jesper Schlæger and Matthias Stepan, ‘Exploring the Sustainability of E-government Innovation in China: A Comparative Case Study on 22 Prefectural-level Cities’ Websites’, Journal of Chinese Political Science 22(4) (2017), pp. 625–649; Jeffrey James, ‘The Smart Feature Phone Revolution in Developing Countries: Bringing the Internet to the Bottom of the Pyramid’, Information Society 36(4) (2020), pp. 226–235.4 Evelyn Ruppert, Engin Isin, and Didier Bigo, ‘Data Politics’, Big Data & Society 4(2) (2017), pp. 1–7.5 Dragu Tiberiu and Yonatan Lupu, ‘Digital Auth","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135344577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urban Management in Authoritarian China: How the Smart City is Used to Enhance Comprehensive Law Enforcement","authors":"Wen-hsuan Tsai, Ru-Yang Lin, Hsin-Hsien Wang","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2251020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2251020","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48272970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"‘Hold on to the Green Horse’: Popular Imaginations of the Health Code and the Cultivation of Algocratic Attunement in China in the COVID Era","authors":"Sheng Zou","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2251012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2251012","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43354770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Who Deserves Credit? Banks for the Virtuous in Rural China","authors":"Marianne von Blomberg, Wessel Reijers","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2248034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2248034","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42727228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Hu’s Outward-Looking Pragmatism to Xi’s Ambitious Nationalist Leninism: Contrasting Agendas in Politburo Collective Study Sessions","authors":"E. Choi","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2248015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2248015","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46728131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Local Politics in the Age of Automated Decision-Making in China: A Case Study of the Henan Health Code Scandal","authors":"Haiqing Yu, Jesper Willaing Zeuthen","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2248033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2248033","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43797261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding Environmental Governance in China Through the Green Shield Action Campaign","authors":"Weiye Wang, Suyuan He, Jinlong Liu","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2244893","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2244893","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49050179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Rise of Pro-Regime Intellectuals and Their Mass Persuasion Strategies on China’s Internet","authors":"Jie Wu, Shen Yang","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2238624","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2238624","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42624797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Evolution of American Contemporary China Studies: Coming Full Circle?","authors":"David Shambaugh","doi":"10.1080/10670564.2023.2237918","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2237918","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47894,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contemporary China","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46933257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}