Participation and Empowerment at the Grassroots

This monograph ties in the scholarly debate on Chinese village elections and their consequences for China's political system. By critically assessing the recent literature on village elections and drawing on qualitative fieldwork data gathered in six villages of two provinces and one urban district, it contributes to our understanding of the nexus between political participation and cadre accountability at the grassroots and highlights a number of factors ensuring the persistence of one-party rule in contemporary China.