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Decentralization and veiled corruption under China's "rule of mandates"

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  • Birney, Mayling

Abstract

This paper shows why corruption is especially difficult to detect under China’s system of decentralized authoritarian rule, which I call a “rule of mandates.” Local officials must pursue high priority political targets but have immense discretion over which laws to implement. A relative standard for corruption consequently arises since non-implementation of laws may be mandate-serving or may be corrupt; and determining which requires extra information on why non-implementation occurred. The theory is supported by evidence from original survey and case research on the implementation of the village elections law. I discuss implications for anticorruption efforts, development patterns, and future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Birney, Mayling, 2014. "Decentralization and veiled corruption under China's "rule of mandates"," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 45826, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:45826
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/45826/
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    Cited by:

    1. Ji, Mianmian & Lv, Wendai, 2022. "Demonstration zones reform and corporate philanthropy: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    2. Kong, Gaowen & Ji, Mianmian & Guo, Yuemei, 2021. "Political promotion events and energy conservation decisions: Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    3. Xinyu Fan & Feng Yang, 2019. "Strategic promotion, reputation, and responsiveness in bureaucratic hierarchies," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 31(3), pages 286-307, July.
    4. Shenghui Tong, 2022. "Corruption and anti‐corruption in China: a review and future research agenda," Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, The Crawford School, The Australian National University, vol. 36(1), pages 3-16, May.
    5. Ge Xin & Jia Chen, 2023. "Decentralized governance and collective action dilemma: Sub‐national governments' responses to COVID‐19 in China," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(2), pages 163-175, May.
    6. Hong Gao & Adam Tyson & Guangxin Cheng, 2022. "Novel virus, novel response: Local discretion and responses to COVID‐19 in Hebei Province, China," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), pages 5-22, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Asia; China; corruption; authoritarianism; decentralization; rule of law;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B14 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Socialist; Marxist
    • B24 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Socialist; Marxist; Scraffian
    • P2 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies
    • P3 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions

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