Table Of ContentCritical Studies of the Asia-Pacific
Series Editor: Mark Beeson , Professor of International Politics, The University of
Western Australia, Australia
Critical Studies of the Asia Pacific showcases new research and scholarship on what
is arguably the most important region in the world in the twenty-first century. The
rise of China and the continuing strategic importance of this dynamic economic
area to the United States mean that the Asia Pacific will remain crucially impor-
tant to policymakers and scholars alike. The unifying theme of the series is a
desire to publish the best theoretically informed, original research on the region.
Titles in the series cover the politics, economics and security of the region, as
well as focusing on its institutional processes, individual countries, issues and
leaders.
Titles include:
Thomas Birtchnell
INDOVATION
Innovation and a Global Knowledge Economy in India
Lindsay Black
JAPAN’S MARITIME SECURITY STRATEGY
The Japan Coast Guard and Maritime Outlaws
Aurel Croissant, David Küehn, Philip Lorenz and Paul W. Chambers
DEMOCRATIZATION AND CIVILIAN CONTROL IN ASIA
Giovanna Maria Dora Dore, Jae H. Ku and Karl Jackson (e ditors)
INCOMPLETE DEMOCRACIES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC
Evidence from Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines and Thailand
Kelly Gerard
ASEAN’s ENGAGEMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY
Regulating Dissent
Felix Heiduk (editor)
SECURITY SECTOR REFORM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
From Policy to Practice
Brendan Howe
THE PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF HUMAN SECURITY IN EAST ASIA
Jane Hutchison, Wil Hout, Caroline Hughes and Richard Robison
POLITICAL ECONOMY AND THE AID INDUSTRY IN ASIA
Eun Mee Kim and Pil Ho Kim (editors)
THE SOUTH KOREAN DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE
Beyond Aid
Jikon Lai
FINANCIAL CRISIS AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE IN EAST ASIA
Jonathan London ( editor )
POLITICS IN CONTEMPORARY VIETNAM
Party, State, and Authority Relations
Arndt Michael
INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY AND REGIONAL MULTILATERALISM
Christopher B. Roberts, Ahmad D. Habir and Leonard C. Sebastian (e ditors )
INDONESIA’S ASCENT
Power, Leadership, and the Regional Order
Mohammad Zulfan Tadjoeddin
EXPLAINING COLLECTIVE VIOLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY INDONESIA
Claudia Tazreiter and Siew Yean Tham (editors)
GLOBALIZATION AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC
The Australian and Malaysian Experience
Sow Keat Tok
MANAGING CHINA’S SOVEREIGNTY IN HONG KONG AND TAIWAN
William Tow and Rikki Kersten ( editors)
BILATERAL PERSPECTIVES ON REGIONAL SECURITY
Australia, Japan and the Asia-Pacific Region
Barry Wain
MALAYSIAN MAVERICK
Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times
Mikael Weissmann
THE EAST ASIAN PEACE
Conflict Prevention and Informal Peacebuilding
Robert G. Wirsing, Christopher Jasparro and Daniel C. Stoll
INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT OVER WATER RESOURCES IN HIMALAYAN ASIA
Hidetaka Yoshimatsu
COMPARING INSTITUTION-BUILDING IN EAST ASIA
Power Politics, Governance, and Critical Junctures
Critical Studies of the Asia Pacific Series
Series Standing Order ISBN 978–0–230–22896–2 (Hardback)
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Customer Services Department, Macmillan Distribution Ltd, Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS, England
The Chinese Communist
Party’s Capacity to Rule
Ideology, Legitimacy and Party Cohesion
Jinghan Zeng
Lecturer, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
© Jinghan Zeng 2016
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2016 978-1-137-53367-8
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
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Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2016 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-57455-1 ISBN 978-1-137-53368-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-53368-5
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zeng, Jinghan, 1987–
The Chinese Communist Party’s capacity to rule : ideology, legitimacy
and party cohesion / Jinghan Zeng.
pages cm.—(Critical studies of the Asia-Pacific)
1. Zhongguo gong chan dang. 2. Zhongguo gong chan dang – Discipline.
3. Zhongguo gong chan dang – Party work. 4. Legitimacy of governments –
China. I. Title.
JQ1519.A5Z323 2015
324.251′075—dc23 2015021827
To My Mom
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Contents
List of Figures viii
List of Tables x
Acknowledgments xi
List of Abbreviations xii
1 Introduction 1
2 Existential Crisis of the Chinese Communist Party? 29
3 Popular Legitimacy from the Western Perspective 55
4 Popular Legitimacy from the Chinese Perspective 96
5 Ideological and Political Education in China 115
6 The Institutionalization of the Authoritarian Leadership
in China 153
7 Conclusion: A Journey to Popular Legitimacy and
Party Cohesion 181
Appendix: Coding Manual 195
Notes 202
Bibliography 205
Index 231
vii
List of Figures
1.1 C ore arguments of this book 2 7
4.1 R eference rates of scholars in the Chinese discourse
of legitimacy 1 00
4.2 E valuation of Chinese intellectuals on levels of regime
legitimacy in China 1 02
4.3 T hree dimensions of proposed strategies for maintaining
legitimacy (factor correlations r) 1 05
6.1 R egime legitimacy and the institutionalization of power
succession 1 55
6.2 A ge distribution of the Politburo Standing Committee
(1982–2012) 1 62
6.3 A ge distribution of Politburo members in China
(1982–2012) 1 62
6.4 A verage age of Chinese leaders when they were appointed
(1982–2012) 1 63
6.5 T urnover rate of the CCP Central Committee and the
Politburo (1973–2012) 1 64
6.6 T urnover rates of American political representatives and
Chinese leaders (1982–2012) 1 64
6.7 C hanging tendency of educational qualifications of
Politburo members (1982–2012) 1 67
6.8 A cademic disciplines of PSC members (1992–2012) 1 68
6.9 P roportion of ethnic minorities in the CCP Central
Committee (1982–2012) 1 70
6.10 T he representation of ethnic minorities in the CCP
Central Committee and the Politburo (1982–2012 ) 170
6.11 P roportion of mid- and high-level female cadres
(2000–2009) 1 71
6.12 F emale representation in Chinese leadership (1982–2012) 172
6.13 O rganizational representation of Politburo members
(1992 –2012) 1 73
viii
List of Figures ix
6.14 W orking units of 18th CCP Central Committee members 175
6.15 S ize of the Politburo and its Standing Committee
(1982–2012) 1 77
6.16 R atio showing the difference between the number of
nominees and the number of elected seats (cha e bi li)
in the Central Committee and the Central Discipline
Inspection Commission 1 79
