Evaluating the Promotion of China's Local Middle-level Cadres: The Role of Professional Résumés

Abstract:While past studies have focused on how China's political elites, such as local "top leaders" or senior cadres, are promoted, there has been relatively little research, largely due to lack of data, into local middle-level cadres. This study collects a data set consisting of 582 local middle-level cadres' professional résumés and analyses the influence of such résumés on promotion. Regression results have shown that educational attainment, particularly "first degree", has the most significant impact on speed of promotion, demonstrating that "educational credentialism" is one-sided. Furthermore, the speed at which one is promoted to deputy chu (处) level greatly influences one's subsequent career acceleration; this indicates that promotion has a strong degree of continuity. The impact of cross-departmental work experience on promotion is also significant but overturns the conventional perception that those who have worked in multiple positions are more likely to be promoted. Overall, the promotion process in China is not unique as it shares several characteristics with major states that have a technocratic tendency.