Popular electoral support for party members in Chinese village elections : an alternative interpretation of elections results

Since the introduction of elections into Chinese villages two decades ago, many have viewed these elections skeptically. These skeptics point to the disproportionately high percentage of Village Party Branch members elected to Village Committees as a sign that the Party is manipulating the electi...

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Main Author: Williams, Erin Elizabeth
Format: Others
Language:English
Published: 2009
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2429/14635
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spelling ndltd-UBC-oai-circle.library.ubc.ca-2429-146352018-01-05T17:37:24Z Popular electoral support for party members in Chinese village elections : an alternative interpretation of elections results Williams, Erin Elizabeth Since the introduction of elections into Chinese villages two decades ago, many have viewed these elections skeptically. These skeptics point to the disproportionately high percentage of Village Party Branch members elected to Village Committees as a sign that the Party is manipulating the elections to reassert their power at the village level. They conclude that the contours of rural political power have changed little since the commune era. I argue, alternatively, that the reason so many Party members are elected to VCs is that many peasants see it in their interest to vote for them. I use two sets of arguments to support this view. The first addresses whether the elections offer peasants meaningful choices among candidates. I argue that if we use an expanded concept of how constituents approach elections, we must conclude that peasants do have meaningful choices. The second addresses the question of how peasants respond to material uncertainty. I use the moral economy/rational peasant debate to show that when faced with material uncertainty, peasants respond by being conservative in their choices. I conclude that reform-era agricultural and economic policies have left many peasants in China's central grain belt feeling financially vulnerable. Faced with such uncertainties, they have adopted a "safety first" principle of minimizing risk while maximizing opportunities within the existing political and economic arrangements. Furthermore, the post-Mao economic reforms have necessitated a change in the criteria for Party membership, particularly at the village level. Because the Party now prioritizes economic development, it also prizes those Party members or potential members who possess the skills that further that goal. Voting for Party members can therefore not be considered a vote for the status quo. Arts, Faculty of Asian Studies, Department of Graduate 2009-11-03T18:35:45Z 2009-11-03T18:35:45Z 2003 2003-11 Text Thesis/Dissertation http://hdl.handle.net/2429/14635 eng For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. 2318339 bytes application/pdf
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language English
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description Since the introduction of elections into Chinese villages two decades ago, many have viewed these elections skeptically. These skeptics point to the disproportionately high percentage of Village Party Branch members elected to Village Committees as a sign that the Party is manipulating the elections to reassert their power at the village level. They conclude that the contours of rural political power have changed little since the commune era. I argue, alternatively, that the reason so many Party members are elected to VCs is that many peasants see it in their interest to vote for them. I use two sets of arguments to support this view. The first addresses whether the elections offer peasants meaningful choices among candidates. I argue that if we use an expanded concept of how constituents approach elections, we must conclude that peasants do have meaningful choices. The second addresses the question of how peasants respond to material uncertainty. I use the moral economy/rational peasant debate to show that when faced with material uncertainty, peasants respond by being conservative in their choices. I conclude that reform-era agricultural and economic policies have left many peasants in China's central grain belt feeling financially vulnerable. Faced with such uncertainties, they have adopted a "safety first" principle of minimizing risk while maximizing opportunities within the existing political and economic arrangements. Furthermore, the post-Mao economic reforms have necessitated a change in the criteria for Party membership, particularly at the village level. Because the Party now prioritizes economic development, it also prizes those Party members or potential members who possess the skills that further that goal. Voting for Party members can therefore not be considered a vote for the status quo. === Arts, Faculty of === Asian Studies, Department of === Graduate
author Williams, Erin Elizabeth
spellingShingle Williams, Erin Elizabeth
Popular electoral support for party members in Chinese village elections : an alternative interpretation of elections results
author_facet Williams, Erin Elizabeth
author_sort Williams, Erin Elizabeth
title Popular electoral support for party members in Chinese village elections : an alternative interpretation of elections results
title_short Popular electoral support for party members in Chinese village elections : an alternative interpretation of elections results
title_full Popular electoral support for party members in Chinese village elections : an alternative interpretation of elections results
title_fullStr Popular electoral support for party members in Chinese village elections : an alternative interpretation of elections results
title_full_unstemmed Popular electoral support for party members in Chinese village elections : an alternative interpretation of elections results
title_sort popular electoral support for party members in chinese village elections : an alternative interpretation of elections results
publishDate 2009
url http://hdl.handle.net/2429/14635
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