| ID | 110017 |
| Title Proper | Village elections and the rise of capitalist entrepreneurs |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Yao, Yusheng |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This study examines a series of four direct elections and their impact in an industrialized Chinese northern village. It finds that direct elections empowered villagers and the new economic elite to remove the old, entrenched and corrupt leadership. However, the few capitalist entrepreneurs who dominated the elections and the new leadership neither abided by the rules of political competition nor tried to govern democratically. On the other hand, villagers did not feel empowered to participate in the governing process despite the establishment of democratic institutions. After initial enthusiasm for direct elections, many villagers either became politically apathetic or felt helpless and nostalgic for the return of a benevolent authoritarian leader. This study finds that after four rounds of direct elections, little progress had been made in democratic elections and governance. This was mainly because the new economic elite did not want to be checked by democratic rules and institutions while villagers had not learned to use democratic institutions to hold their elected leaders accountable. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Contemporary China Vol. 21, No. 74; Mar 2012: p.317-332 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Contemporary China Vol: 21 No 74 |
| Key Words | Village Elections ; Rise of Capitalist Entrepreneurs ; China ; Direct Elections ; Corrupt Leadership ; Democratic Institutions |