Political dynamics and bureaucratic career patterns in the Peoples' Republic of China
- 2001
- p.1036-062
- Nov.
Bureaucrats and bureaucratic organizations are at the center of political and economic institutions of state socialism. This study examines the link between political dynamics and bureaucratic career patterns in the People's Republic of China to shed light on the evolution of state socialist bureaucracy. The author argues that political dynamics induced by shifting state policies and tensions between state and bureaucratic interests led to the recruitment and promotion of seperate cohorts of bureaucrats with distinctive characteristics and divided loyalities. Using the life histories of a representative sample drawn in 20 cities in China, the author examines patterns of access to the Chinese bureaucracy and promotion patterns during the period from 1949 through 1994. The evidence shows varying selection criteria over times and two distinct patterns of promotion between national bureaucratic systems and within workplaces. The findings portrary an image of bureaucrats as highly differentiated groups rather than a homogenous ruiling class. - Reproduced.