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Local Cadres

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The Palgrave Handbook of Local Governance in Contemporary China

Abstract

This chapter examines the function, role, and administration of local cadres. Here, the term “local cadres” refers particularly to officials at the county (city), township, and village levels. The chapter is structured as follows: first, China’s cadre system, in general, is briefly explained. Second, the discretionary power of county governments is examined. We then consider the role of three levels of officials: county, town and township, and village cadres. In addition, we introduce the analytical concept of “strategic groups” (SGs) to illustrate how to capture local cadres and their behavior from a theoretical perspective. Finally, we deal with the evaluation of cadres’ performance by superior bodies and the role of policy piloting at the local level.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See http://www.waizi.org.cn/law/17037.html (accessed 24 April 2017).

  2. 2.

    http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64093/64103/13186087.html (accessed 16 April 2017).

  3. 3.

    A total 60% of party members live in China’s counties. See Renmin Ribao, 12 June 2010.

  4. 4.

    Interview with a county party secretary in Xifeng County, Guizhou Province, 6 September 2010.

  5. 5.

    The anti-corruption drive after 2014 also intensified pressure on local cadres.

  6. 6.

    Interviews with scholars at Sichuan University and the Chengdu Academy of Social Sciences, 23 September 2007.

  7. 7.

    Interview with a former township secretary in Qingdao, 20 August 2009.

  8. 8.

    Interview, Anju, 4 September 2009.

  9. 9.

    Guazhi means to serve in a lower-level unit (to gain experience) for a certain period of time while retaining one’s position in the previous unit.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Political Science and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany

    Thomas Heberer

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  1. Thomas Heberer
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Correspondence to Thomas Heberer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Jianxing Yu

  2. Department of Political Science, and Center for US-China Policy Studies, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Sujian Guo

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Heberer, T. (2019). Local Cadres. In: Yu, J., Guo, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Local Governance in Contemporary China. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2799-5_8

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