Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-cfpbc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-16T06:40:28.347Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Politics of Personnel Redundancy: The Non-leading Cadre System in the Chinese Bureaucracy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2018

Hon S. Chan  and
Jie Gao
Hon S. Chan*
Affiliation:
City University of Hong Kong.
Jie Gao
Affiliation:
National University of Singapore.
*
Email: sahschan@cityu.edu.hk (corresponding author).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study provides an overview of the origin, importance and strength of the non-leading cadre system and argues that the system plays a key role in building resilience in China's bureaucracy. The non-leading cadre system is administratively and politically important because it makes the party-state bureaucracy more adaptable and fosters cohesion among the elite cadre workforce. Although the system may appear to have institutionalized redundancy, this study argues that this redundancy has the benefit of making movement between leading and non-leading cadre status possible. In other words, the non-leading cadre system provides the various levels of the party-state bureaucracy with the leverage to develop their own measures for resolving their own problems. Putting aside the deficiencies in implementation, the non-leading cadre system is likely to remain durable and will help to develop an agile and resilient personnel management system, at least in the short to medium term.

摘要

通过考察非领导干部制度的起源、重要性及其优点，本文认为非领导干部制度在增强中国官僚制的弹性上发挥了不可或缺的作用。非领导干部制度无论是在政治层面还是行政层面都十分重要，因为它使中国庞大的官僚体制更具适应力，并增强了精英干部队伍的凝聚力。尽管非领导干部制度从设计上看貌似冗余，我们认为恰恰是这种冗余使领导干部和非领导干部的身份能够灵活转化。换言之，非领导干部体制为各个层次的官僚提供了一个以小搏大的工具，使他们能够发展出解决自身问题的切实方案。尽管这套体制在执行中不无问题，非领导干部制度会继续存在下去，并至少在短期内有助于建立一个更有效率和更具弹性的干部人事管理体制。

Keywords

non-leading cadresestablishmentnomenklaturacadre evaluationcadre mobilityresilient authoritarianism非领导干部编制职务名称表干部考核干部流动性韧性威权
Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 235 , September 2018 , pp. 622 - 643
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © SOAS University of London 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ang, Yuen Yuen. 2012. “Counting cadres: a comparative view of the size of China's public employment.” The China Quarterly 211, 676–696.Google Scholar
Burns, John P. 1987. “Notice on printing and distribution of the job title list of cadres managed by the People's Bank of China.” Chinese Law and Government 20(4), 83–87.Google Scholar
Central Organization Department. 1995. “Dangzheng lingdao ganbu xuanba renyong gongzuo zanxing tiaoli” (Interim regulations on the selection and promotion of Party and government leading cadres), http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/71380/71387/71591/4855103.html. Accessed 14 April 2018.Google Scholar
Central Organization Department. 2002. “Dangzheng lingdao ganbu xuanba renyong gongzuo tiaoli” (Regulations on the selection and promotion of Party and government leading cadres), http://www.people.com.cn/GB/shizheng/16/20020723/782504.html. Accessed 14 April 2018.Google Scholar
Central Organization Department. 2008. “Quanguo jiguan ganbu tongji ziliao zhaibian” (Extracts of the national statistical information of all Party and government agencies), June 2008. Internal Document.Google Scholar
Central Organization Department. 2014. “Dangzheng lingdao ganbu xuanba renyong gongzuo tiaoli” (Regulations on the selection and promotion of Party and government leading cadres). Beijing: Dangjian Publishing House.Google Scholar
Guangxi Government. 1994. Guangxi nianjian (Chronicle of Guangxi Province). Guangxi: Guangxi Chronicle Office.Google Scholar
Hou, Jianliang. 2007. Gongwuyuan zhidu fazhan jishi (Civil Service System: Development and Chronicles). Beijing: Chinese Personnel Press.Google Scholar
Jiangling County Government. 2013; 2016. “Open information on finance and establishment of the county,” http://www.hbcz.gov.cn/421024/include/bzb.shtml?xzqh=42102401&bkj=d421024. Accessed 10 July 2016.Google Scholar
Landau, Martin. 1969. “Redundancy, rationality, and the problem of duplication and overlap.” Public Administration Review 29(4), 346–358.Google Scholar
Lin, Yi (ed.). 2006. Gongwuyuanfa yanjiu (A Study of the Civil Service Law). Beijing: Chinese Personnel Press.Google Scholar
Office of Personnel Management of the United States. 2017. “Senior executive service: facts and figures,” https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/facts-figures/#url=Demographics. Accessed 7 March 2017.Google Scholar
Organization Department of Yan'an City. 2008. “Yan'an shi xuandiaosheng chengzhang jihua” (The plan to develop selected students in Yan'an city), http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_560d5d120100bldi.html. Accessed 26 September 2016.Google Scholar
Post Management Bureau of the State Civil Service Administration. 2009. “Zhongyang guojia xingzheng jiguan feilingdao zhiwu shezhi gongzuo” (Edited information on the establishment of non-leading cadre posts in central and state administration agencies). Internal Document.Google Scholar
Provincial government websites. 2013; 2014. Information on examinations (kaoshiwang), specially selected students (xuandiaosheng) and employment (jiuyewang). Compilation of the information was completed in July 2013 and December 2015, respectively.Google Scholar
Provincial government websites. 2015. Information on the composition of the leadership groups of the component departments of all provincial-level governments. Data were collected from each government and department's website. Compilation of the data was completed in January 2016.Google Scholar
State Council. 1993a. Provisional Regulations of State Civil Servants. Beijing: Dangjian Publishing House.Google Scholar
State Council. 1993b. The 1993 Establishment Method for Non-leading Posts in the State Civil Service. Beijing: Dangjian Publishing House.Google Scholar
State Council. 2005. The Civil Service Law. Beijing: Dangjian Publishing House.Google Scholar
State Council. 2006. “Zonghe guanlilei gongwuyuan feilingdao zhiwu shezhi guanli banfa” (The establishment and management interim method of non-leading posts in the category of comprehensive administration within the state civil service), http://www.mohrss.gov.cn/SYrlzyhshbzb/zcfg/flfg/xzfg/201605/t20160506_239551.html. Accessed 14 April 2018.Google Scholar
Vogel, Ezra. 1970. “Politicized bureaucracy: Communist China.” In Riggs, Fred (ed.), Frontiers of Development Administration. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 556–568.Google Scholar