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  • © 2014

Tamed Village “Democracy”

Elections, Governance and Clientelism in a Contemporary Chinese Village

Authors:

  • An insider’s in-depth exploration of village politics in contemporary rural China, among the first books of its kind in English literature
  • Applies a clientelist perspective to explain the state-society relationship in Chinese politics
  • Accessible and interesting for both China researchers and general readers keen on understanding Chinese society and Chinese political culture
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Understanding China (UNCHI)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
  2. Introduction

    • Guohui Wang
    Pages 1-24
  3. Candidates, Patrons and Factions

    • Guohui Wang
    Pages 65-86
  4. Conclusion

    • Guohui Wang
    Pages 151-163
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 165-177

About this book

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

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Public Administration, Yantai University School of Economics and Management, Yantai, China

    Guohui Wang

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Tamed Village “Democracy”

  • Book Subtitle: Elections, Governance and Clientelism in a Contemporary Chinese Village

  • Authors: Guohui Wang

  • Series Title: Understanding China

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54058-5

  • Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Political Science and International Studies (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-642-54057-8Published: 12 March 2014

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-662-51405-4Published: 03 September 2016

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-642-54058-5Published: 08 July 2014

  • Series ISSN: 2196-3134

  • Series E-ISSN: 2196-3142

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XV, 177

  • Topics: Political Science, Sociology, general

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access