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A springboard into politics: Do Chinese entrepreneurs benefit from joining the government-controlled business associations?

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  • Ma, Guangrong
  • Rui, Oliver Meng
  • Wu, Yiping

Abstract

Business associations in authoritarian regimes behave systematically different from their counterparts in democratic regimes. Using a unique dataset of Chinese private firms, this paper examines the impacts of joining the most prominent business association in China, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) which was initiated and strongly controlled by the government. We find that ACFIC members have much higher chances to obtain formal political identities, that is, the deputy of People's Congress (PC) or the People's Political Consultative Conference (PPCC). However, ACFIC membership itself cannot help entrepreneurs acquire scarce resources that are controlled by the government. Rather, ACFIC members bear heavier tax burdens and make more informal payments to government officials. These findings suggest that the ACFIC act as a springboard into politics, rather than an effective collective action committee that can bring common benefits to its members or protect members from government predation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ma, Guangrong & Rui, Oliver Meng & Wu, Yiping, 2015. "A springboard into politics: Do Chinese entrepreneurs benefit from joining the government-controlled business associations?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 166-183.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:36:y:2015:i:c:p:166-183
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2015.09.003
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    Cited by:

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    3. Weiqi Dai & Juelin Yin & Mingqing Liao & Felix Arndt, 2023. "Corporate philanthropy, political connections, and external corporate venturing: Evidence from a transitional economy," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 1253-1287, September.
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    5. Wang, Fangjun & Xu, Luying & Zhang, Junrui & Shu, Wei, 2018. "Political connections, internal control and firm value: Evidence from China's anti-corruption campaign," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 53-67.
    6. Jeffrey B. Nugent & Jiaxuan Lu, 2020. "Does the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Align Private Firms with the Goals of the People's Republic of China's Belt and Road Initiative?," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 37(2), pages 45-76, September.
    7. Yong Liu & Manting Li & Juanjuan Zhao & Haidong Yu, 2019. "Responding to environmental pollution-related online posts: behavior of Web surfers and its influencing factors," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(6), pages 2931-2943, December.
    8. Andrea Fracasso & Kun Jiang, 2022. "The performance of private companies in China before and during the global financial crisis: firms’ characteristics and entrepreneurs’ attributes," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 55(2), pages 803-836, May.

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