This book offers comprehensive review and analysis of official corruption in post-Mao China, arguing that this complex political and social malaise is the consequence of a variety of contributing factors, which include political, social, traditional/cultural, or structural, institutional, governance or policy failures. This study distinguishes itself from the methodologies of other studies by classifying corruption into detailed categories and sub-categories, accompanied by abundant cases and examples of the irregularities and offences. Contents are organized into four categories – bureaucratic corruption, regulatory corruption, corruption in judiciary, and corruption characteristic of socialist reform China, and each category is further divided into detailed subcategories to pin down the patterns, actors, loci, as well as inducements of corruption originated from either political institutions, economic structures, or sociocultural norms. Given its comprehensiveness and in-depth of information and analysis, this book is a useful reference for those interested in political and government corruption in post-Mao China.
Author(s): Forest C. Sun
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 415
City: London
Contents
Acronyms
List of Chinese Newspaper and Journal Abbreviations
List of Tables
1 Introduction
1.1 Definition of Corruption
1.2 Explanations of Corruption
1.3 Study Approach and Structure
2 The Economic Reform
2.1 Economic Reform
The Historical Context and Rationale of Reform
Reform—Models, Policies, Stages, and Processes
Reform—Performance and Achievements
Reform—Gaps, Disparities, and Challenges
3 Official Corruption in the Reform Era
3.1 Corruption in the Pre-Reform Era
Acceleration of Corruption in the Reform Era
3.2 Patterns of Corruption and Economic Crimes
Embezzlement
Bribery
Bribe-Offering
Bribery Brokerage
Acceptance of bribes by Organizations
Bribe Offering by Organizations
Offering Bribes to Organizations
Misappropriation of Public Funds
Illegal Profiteering
Possession of Huge Amount of Assets from Unidentified Sources
Concealing Deposits in Foreign Bank Accounts
Partitioning State-Owned Assets without Authorization
Unsanctioned Partition and Distribution of Confiscated Properties
Neglect of Duty
Abuse of Authority
Irregularities of tax levy exemption or reduction
Irregularities of provision of export tax rebate receipts, bills, and vouchers
Illicit approval of requisition and occupation of land
Illicit granting of land use rights at artificially low price
Irregularities of conniving at smuggling activities
Irregularities in performing commercial inspection
Irregularities of conniving at production and sale of fake and inferior goods
Irregularities of approval and registration of corporations and issuance of securities
Irregularities and neglect of duty in environment supervision and protection
Irregularities and fraud in recruiting civil servants and students
Irregularities, illicit acts and crimes in judiciary and law enforcement
Squandering
Selling and Buying Public Offices
Arbitrary Use of Regulatory Power and Illicit Fund Raising
Moral Decadence
3.3 The Breadth, Depth, and Intensity of Official Corruption
4 Official Corruption in the Post-1992 Period
4.1 Deepening of the Reform and Intensification of Official Corruption
Character, Scope, and Tendency of Bribery in the Post-1992 Period
4.2 Bureaucratic Corruption
Public Programs, Investments, and Services
Official Profiteering
Embezzlement and Misappropriation of Public Funds
Public Procurement, Investment, and Infrastructure
Infrastructure and Construction
Public Investment
Public Procurement
Bank Loans, Credits, and Misappropriation
Export Tax Rebate
SOE Privatization
Loss of State Assets—Outright Looting and Embezzlement of State-Owned Assets and Properties
5 Regulatory and Judicial Corruption
5.1 Regulatory Corruption
Land and Real Estate
State Resources and Energy
Tax Evasion and Tax Fraud
Customs and Inspection
Environment Regulation and Enforcement
Drug and Food Safety Administration
Securities Corruption
Smuggling
5.2 Judicial Corruption
6 Corruption Characteristic of Culture and Socialist Reform China
6.1 Corruption Induced by Culture and Tradition
Guanxi and Guanxixue
Family and Crony Corruption
6.2 Malfeasances Characteristic of Socialism China
Collective and Organizational Corruption
Buying and Selling Offices
Squandering of Public Funds
Moral Decadence and Official Corruption
7 How Does China Fare Amid Unprecedented Official Corruption?
7.1 The Double-Edged Effect of Transactive Corruption
The Economic Cost of Official Corruption
The Political Cost of Official Corruption
The Social Cost of Official Corruption
7.2 Corruption Control Efforts and Countermeasures
Anti-Corruption Institutions—Mandate, Functions, and Interactions
CCP Efforts to CrackDown on Corruption Prior to the 18th CCP National Congress
Crackdown on “Tigers and Flies”: Anti-Corruption Campaign in the Xi Regime
8 What Are at Play and What Should Be Faulted For?
8.1 An Orthodox Approach and Theory of Corruption
8.2 Structural Determinants and Incentives of Corruption
8.3 Structural Defects Inherent in a Semi-Planned and Semi-Market Economy
Excessive State Control and Intervention in Market Economy
The Dual-Track Pricing System
Unintended Policy Outcomes
The Double-Edged Effect of Decentralization
Inequality in Income Distribution
Laxity in Supervision and Law Enforcement
8.4 Institutional Deficiencies Inherent in a Socialist and Authoritarian State
The Dominance of Public Ownership
A Faulty Political System
Absence of an Independent Judiciary and the Presence of an Extrajudicial and Politicized System
Laxity in Enforcement
Lack of Checks and Balances
8.5 Is Corruption Inherent in Chinese Norms and Culture?
9 Conclusion: The Dilemma of the CCP Anti-corruption Strategy—Systemic Corruption and the Trap of Partial Reform
9.1 Dilemmas Caused by the Partial Reform Trap
Misconfiguration of Political Institution and Market Economy
Public Sector Advances While Private Sector Retreats
A Non-independent Judiciary
A Politicized Anti-corruption Institution
Crackdown on Civil Society and Press
9.2 Concluding Remarks
The Partial Reform Trap and the Paradox of Anti-corruption Policy
9.3 The Final Remarks
Bibliography
Index
