State and Agents in China

Disciplining Government Officials

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book State and Agents in China by Yongshun Cai, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Yongshun Cai ISBN: 9780804793520
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: December 10, 2014
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Yongshun Cai
ISBN: 9780804793520
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: December 10, 2014
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

Chinese government officials have played a crucial role in China's economic development, but they are also responsible for severe problems, including environmental pollution, violation of citizens' rights, failure in governance, and corruption. How does the Chinese Party-state respond when a government official commits a duty-related malfeasance or criminal activity? And how does it balance the potential political costs of disciplining its own agents versus the loss of legitimacy in tolerating their misdeeds? State and Agents in China explores how the party-state addresses this dilemma, uncovering the rationale behind the selective disciplining of government officials and its implications for governance in China. By examining the discipline of state agents, Cai shows how selective punishment becomes the means of balancing the need for and difficulties of disciplining agents, and explains why some erring agents are tolerated while others are punished. Cai finds that the effectiveness of punishing erring officials in China does not depend so much on the Party-state's capacity to detect and punish each erring official but on the threat it creates when the Party-state decides to mete out punishment. Importantly, the book also shows how relaxed discipline allows reform-minded officials to use rule-violating reform measures to address local problems, and how such reform measures have significant implications for the regime's resilience.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Chinese government officials have played a crucial role in China's economic development, but they are also responsible for severe problems, including environmental pollution, violation of citizens' rights, failure in governance, and corruption. How does the Chinese Party-state respond when a government official commits a duty-related malfeasance or criminal activity? And how does it balance the potential political costs of disciplining its own agents versus the loss of legitimacy in tolerating their misdeeds? State and Agents in China explores how the party-state addresses this dilemma, uncovering the rationale behind the selective disciplining of government officials and its implications for governance in China. By examining the discipline of state agents, Cai shows how selective punishment becomes the means of balancing the need for and difficulties of disciplining agents, and explains why some erring agents are tolerated while others are punished. Cai finds that the effectiveness of punishing erring officials in China does not depend so much on the Party-state's capacity to detect and punish each erring official but on the threat it creates when the Party-state decides to mete out punishment. Importantly, the book also shows how relaxed discipline allows reform-minded officials to use rule-violating reform measures to address local problems, and how such reform measures have significant implications for the regime's resilience.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book What Is a Border? by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Making Law Matter by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Copyright's Highway by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Tales of Futures Past by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Stories of Khmelnytsky by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Beyond the Champion by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book The Ridiculous Jew by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book ‘This Culture of Ours’ by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Jinnealogy by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Cleansing Honor with Blood by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Stolen Honor by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Wild Life by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Law and the Stranger by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book Technology Change and the Rise of New Industries by Yongshun Cai
Cover of the book When the War Came Home by Yongshun Cai
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy