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Author Wang, Guohui

Title Tamed village "democracy" : elections, governance and clientelism in a contemporary Chinese village / Guohui Wang
Published Berlin : Springer, 2014

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Description 1 online resource : illustrations
Series Understanding China
Understanding China (Springer (Firm))
Contents Introduction -- The Social and System Background of Villagers' Self-Governance -- Villagers as Clients and 'Locked-in' Voters -- Candidates, Patrons and Factions -- The Role of Local State Officials in Village Elections -- Village Self-Governance: a 'Democratic' Style? -- The Local State's Sustained Control of Village Governance -- Conclusion
Summary Wang's book offers an empirically rich and conceptually nuanced analysis of how local state agents maintain control over village self-governance in China. His careful analysis of primary documents enables him to explicate the formal mechanisms used by members of the local state to influence village affairs. Meanwhile, his rigorous and fascinating ethnographic data enable him to elucidate the manifold ways in which informal clientelist ties between local state officials and village elites permit the former to exert control. Overall, this excellent book powerfully demonstrates the need for scholars to go beyond attention to election processes when evaluating what village democracy means in a Chinese context. It is a must-read for all serious scholars of Chinese politics and society.-Rachel Murphy, University of Oxford Guohui Wang's highly original, in-depth case research vividly reveals the dynamics of contemporary Chinese village politics. By combining abundant empirical data with close observation as an "insider," his book illustrates the processes and consequences of transplanting 'democracy' into rural Chinese society. Particularly for those in the West who are keen on understanding the ongoing transformation of rural China, this book is a rich and revealing source.-Shukai Zhao, Development Research Center of the State Council, P.R. China
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references
Notes English
Print version record
Subject Local government -- China -- Shandong Sheng
Patronage, Political -- China -- Shandong Sheng
Local elections -- China -- Shandong Sheng
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Government -- Local.
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Regional Studies.
Droit.
Sciences sociales.
Sciences humaines.
Local elections
Local government
Patronage, Political
China -- Shandong Sheng
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9783642540585
3642540589