A central current in the history of democratic politics is the tensions between the political culture of an informed citizenry and the potentially antidemocratic impulses of the larger mass of individuals who are only marginally involved in the political world. Given the public s low level of political interest and knowledge, it is paradoxical that the democratic system works at all.In \"The Paradox of Mass Politics\" W. Russell Neuman analyzes the major election surveys in the United States for the period 1948 1980 and develops for each a central index of political sophistication based on measures of political interest, knowledge, and style of political conceptualization. Taking a fresh look at the dramatic findings of public apathy and ignorance, he probes the process by which citizens acquire political knowledge and the impact of their knowledge on voting behavior.The book challenges the commonly held view that politically oriented college-educated individuals have a sophisticated grasp of the fundamental political issues of the day and do not rely heavily on vague political symbolism and party identification in their electoral calculus. In their expression of political opinions and in the stability and coherence of those opinions over time, the more knowledgeable half of the population, Neuman concludes, is almost indistinguishable from the other half. This is, in effect, a second paradox closely related to the first.In an attempt to resolve a major and persisting paradox of political theory, Neuman develops a model of three publics, which more accurately portrays the distribution of political knowledge and behavior in the mass population. He identifies a stratum of apoliticals, a large middle mass, and a politically sophisticated elite. The elite is so small (less than 5 percent) that the beliefs and behavior of its member are lost in the large random samples of national election surveys, but so active and articulate that its views are often equated with public opinion at large by the powers in Washington. The key to the paradox of mass politics is the activity of this tiny stratum of persons who follow political issues with care and expertise. This book is essential reading for concerned students of American politics, sociology, public opinion, and mass communication.\

Presidential Communications: Description and Analysis@@@The Paradox of Mass Politics: Knowledge and Opinion in the American Electorate

Despite the dominant narrative of the repression of civil society in China, Civil Society under Authoritarianism: The China Model argues that interactions between local officials and civil society facilitate a learning process, whereby each actor learns about the intentions and work processes of the other. Over the past two decades, often facilitated by foreign donors and problems within the general social framework, these interactions generated a process in which officials learned the benefits and disadvantages of civil society. Civil society supports local officials' efforts to provide social services and improve public policies, yet it also engages in protest and other activities that challenge social stability and development. This duality motivates local officials in China to construct a 'social management' system - known as consultative authoritarianism - to encourage the beneficial aspects and discourage the dangerous ones.

Civil Society under Authoritarianism: The China Model

Why do authoritarian governments engage in propaganda when citizens often know that their governments are propagandizing and therefore resist, ignore, or disparage the messages? While propaganda is traditionally understood as a means to indoctrinate the masses with pro-regime values and attitudes, i.e., it “brainwashes” people, I propose a theory that propaganda is often not used for indoctrination, but rather to signal the government’s strength in maintaining social control and political order, i.e., it intimidates citizens. I use unique survey data from China to test the argument. Consistent with the theoretical prediction, Chinese college students with more exposure to state propaganda in the form of ideological and political education do not have a more positive view of China’s government and political system, but they are more likely to believe that the regime is strong in maintaining political order and social stability, and less willing to participate in political dissent. Additional evidences consistent with the theory are also briefly discussed.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID2465730_code874794.pdf?abstractid=2325101&mirid=1

Propaganda as Signaling

The Chinese party-state is restructuring its governing institutions, and is reinventing itself in the process. China is not only remaking its public management, but it is also restructuring its party-state organisation. This project applies a local perspective to study state transformation and the focus is on the introduction of the cadre responsibility system at the local level. It is suggested that part of the radical reform proposals of the 1980s have in fact been carried out at the local level. Findings show that the CCP is ridding itself of some functions to enable it to become more efficient in carrying out others. Neither decentralisation nor re-centralisation is a linear process.

Remaking the Communist Party-State: The Cadre Responsibility System at the Local Level in China

https://project.nek.lu.se/publications/workpap/papers/wp15_14.pdf

Does governance cause growth? Evidence from China

Post-Umbrella Movement : localism and radicalness of the Hong Kong student movement

contemporary nationalism in both China and Japan, taking a number of current issues in the bilateral relationship as case studies. It differentiates between state and popular nationalism and between assertive and reactive nationalism. Focusing primarily on popular nationalism, the authors contend that in both China and Japan, contrary to perceptions within each country that the other country is practicing assertive nationalism, in fact reactive nationalism better encapsulates the type of nationalism that is occurring.

China, japan, and the clash of nationalisms

Civil Service Reform in the People’s Republic of China: Another Mirage of the New Global Paradigm of Public Administration?:

The two goals of the 1998 State Council organizational streamlining were personnel reduction and a change of government functions. It is argued that the methods being used to achieve personnel reduction do not constitute a real reduction but largely involve transferring staff to other public institutions. Real personnel reduction could not be achieved without a major change of government function. Institutional reforms of both the central and local governments since the 1980s have been adaptations to the changing economic structure from a planned to a market economy. Government functions have served both existing economies. Cadres cannot be reduced unless the government function of direct management of state-enterprises is completely severed. The major contents of the 1998 institutional reform are examined and evaluated. The prospects for the success of the reform are also assessed.

The 1998 State Council organizational streamlining : personnel reduction and change of government function

This study investigates the political orientation of Chinese university students after the 1989 movement. By drawing on survey data, it aims to judge whether there is a persistence or discontinuity in the students’ political orientation. It is found that students’ political beliefs remained the same before and after 1989 but their involvement in politics has changed to a pragmatic approach. The impact of the 1989 movement and the opportunity structure available on campus in the 1990s has contributed to the political pragmatism of university students. The relationship between economic activism and political pragmatism among the student population is also explored in this study.

Che Po Chan

Papers

Post-Umbrella Movement : localism and radicalness of the Hong Kong student movement

China, japan, and the clash of nationalisms

Civil Service Reform in the People’s Republic of China: Another Mirage of the New Global Paradigm of Public Administration?:

The 1998 State Council organizational streamlining : personnel reduction and change of government function

The political pragmatism of Chinese university students: 10 years after the 1989 movement