Provinces in Command
Changes in Prefectural Appointments from Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping (2003-2020)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12422147 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xinhui Jiang (0000-0002-3851-3130, Nanjing University), Eaton (0000-0002-3416-7867, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany), Genia Kostka (0000-0002-3696-9513, Freie University of Berlin, Germany, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 144 |
| Pages | 963-983 |
| Publication date | 2023-04-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Contemporary China (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1067-0564 • E-ISSN: 1469-9400 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10670564.2023.2202629 |
| OpenAlex | W4366527818 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 11 |
China’s ‘Xi-Li era’ is said to be defined by both the concentration of power in the center and the strengthening of Party authority. In this paper, we ask whether these trends have been evident in local appointment practices since Xi Jinping took office in 2013. By comparing the career histories of 3,682 prefectural mayors and Party Secretaries under the Hu-Wen and Xi-Li administrations, we find that while appointment practices have shifted, the observed changes are not wholly consistent with the center- and Party-strengthening narratives. First, developments in the Xi-Li era suggest that while provincial authorities are increasingly using prefectural appointments for their own ends, the center remains high and far away in these decisions. Second, we do not find evidence that cadres with a strong Party background have a particular advantage in the Xi period. Instead, cadres with strong track records in key functional xitong, particularly those with an economic profile, are still the most likely to attain leadership positions. These findings contribute to the current debate on the nature of power reconfigurations unfolding in Xi’s China
Center (category theory · China · Collective leadership · Economic history · Narrative · Political economy · Political science · Power (physics · Sociology · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Law · Public Administration
Political turnover and economic performance
Dual Elite Recruitment Logic and Political Manipulation under Xi Jinping
Localism in Retreat? Central-Provincial Relations in the Xi Jinping Era
Getting Ahead by Getting On the Right Track
Constraining Dictatorship
Leadership Succession and the Resilience of Electoral Authoritarian Regimes
The politics of senior bureaucratic turnover in the Westminster tradition
Making Bureaucracy Work
Replacing Cabinet Ministers
Getting Ahead in the Communist Party
Loyalists, Localists, and Legibility
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |