Informal networks and influential politicians in China: SNA-study of full CC CCP members

ABSTRACT The article offers a methodology to overcome the shortcomings in the factionalism approach to studying elite politics in China. The authors study professional ties among 204 full members of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party through social network analysis to identify influential members of the elites and detect their communities. Four types of data calculation are used – degree, betweenness, closeness and eigenvector centralities, as well as Louvain method to identify clusters of interconnected members of the network. Xi Jinping has no match per betweenness centrality; once a major contender for becoming China’s leader Vice Premier Hu Chunhua scores the second. Shanghai is a key contributor of elites in spite of Xi promoting loyal cadres from Zhejiang and Fujian. The concentration of power in Xi’s hands is confirmed, the imbalance between centrality scores and real positions of certain officials speaking for a reduced sustainability of the political system.