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Jing Chen, Useful Complaints: How Petitions Assist Decentralized Authoritarianism in China

Jing Chen, Useful Complaints: How Petitions Assist Decentralized Authoritarianism in China J OF CHIN POLIT SCI (2018) 23:137–138 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11366-018-9531-1 BOOK REVIEW Jing Chen, Useful Complaints: How Petitions Assist Decentralized Authoritarianism in China (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016), 204p., $85.00 hardback Thomas E. Kellogg Published online: 27 January 2018 Journal of Chinese Political Science/Association of Chinese Political Studies 2018 In Useful Complaints, Jing Chen attempts to explain why China has defied the central tenets of modernization theory: it has achieved rapid economic growth without signif- icant political liberalization, an especially remarkable achievement given the highly decentralized nature of Chinese authoritarianism. To explain this apparent paradox, Chen proposes an informational theory of authoritarian resilience in China. In partic- ular, she argues that the petition system has played a vital role in keeping the Chinese Communist Party in power because it channels massive amounts of information from localities across China to both higher-level governments and to the center. Upper-level officials use this information to Breward good performance and punish malpractice^ (2), and to adjust policies in response to public feedback. In so doing, Chen argues that Chinese officials bolster their own performance legitimacy, as they are seen by the public as responding actively to citizen concerns. To make her case that the petition http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Chinese Political Science Springer Journals

Jing Chen, Useful Complaints: How Petitions Assist Decentralized Authoritarianism in China

Kellogg, Thomas
Journal of Chinese Political Science , Volume 23 (1) – Jan 27, 2018
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Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by Journal of Chinese Political Science/Association of Chinese Political Studies
Subject
Political Science and International Relations; Political Science
ISSN
1080-6954
eISSN
1874-6357
DOI
10.1007/s11366-018-9531-1
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

J OF CHIN POLIT SCI (2018) 23:137–138 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11366-018-9531-1 BOOK REVIEW Jing Chen, Useful Complaints: How Petitions Assist Decentralized Authoritarianism in China (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016), 204p., $85.00 hardback Thomas E. Kellogg Published online: 27 January 2018 Journal of Chinese Political Science/Association of Chinese Political Studies 2018 In Useful Complaints, Jing Chen attempts to explain why China has defied the central tenets of modernization theory: it has achieved rapid economic growth without signif- icant political liberalization, an especially remarkable achievement given the highly decentralized nature of Chinese authoritarianism. To explain this apparent paradox, Chen proposes an informational theory of authoritarian resilience in China. In partic- ular, she argues that the petition system has played a vital role in keeping the Chinese Communist Party in power because it channels massive amounts of information from localities across China to both higher-level governments and to the center. Upper-level officials use this information to Breward good performance and punish malpractice^ (2), and to adjust policies in response to public feedback. In so doing, Chen argues that Chinese officials bolster their own performance legitimacy, as they are seen by the public as responding actively to citizen concerns. To make her case that the petition

Journal

Journal of Chinese Political Science – Springer Journals

Published: Jan 27, 2018

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