Populist Authoritarianism: The Future of the Chinese Communist Party

The conventional wisdom on China's domestic political situation is one of tension and turmoil. China's leaders seem beset with a host of problems for which they have no ready answer. They face a growing number of popular protests in the cities and the countryside. Corruption seems to be endemic, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) lacks the means or the will to crackdown on corrupt officials, despite more than two decades of rhetoric that stopping corruption is a matter of " life or death " for the party. Faced with growing popular nationalism and critical discourse in cyberspace, it attempts to control and limit the expression and dissemination of critical views. The CCP shows no sign of undertaking fundamental political reforms; instead it is determined to remain in power through short term solutions to immediate problems. Despite this conventional wisdom, the CCP has been more adaptable and more resilient than it often gets credit for. Most observers look at China's political reform primarily in terms of whether it is becoming more democratic, but democratization is not the only metric for measuring political development. If we recognize that greater democracy is not the immediate goal of China's leaders, we may also find that the domestic environment is not so desperate or fragile after all. The CCP is pursuing a variety of political reforms that are intended to enhance the capacity of the state to govern effectively, if not democratically. It has used a mix of measures to shore up popular support, resolve local protests, and incorporate the beneficiaries of economic reform into 2 the political system. In turn, it also forcefully represses efforts to challenge its authority and monopoly on political power and organization. As a result, public opinion is surprisingly complacent: while many are unhappy with their current situation, they remain optimistic about the future. This is not a recipe for imminent revolution. China's leaders face a series of serious problems, but they are more chronic than acute, and absent a sudden and unexpected flare-up do not pose an imminent threat to the incumbent regime. Unity of Purpose Under the leadership of Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, the CCP has made a priority of creating a relatively prosperous and harmonious society through economic development that is both rapid but also scientific. Although these familiar phrases are a bit vague, they do indicate the CCP's current priorities. In contrast to the …