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 …

The Chinese party-state is restructuring its governing institutions, and it is reinventing itself in
the process. The state is withdrawing, market forces are given greater rein, and government
functions are delegated while others are contracted out or privatised. Reforms which aim to
change the way the state is functioning do not, however, necessarily lead to a reduced state
involvement as commonly assumed. On the contrary, the state is reasserting itself in a
different manner that may result in a strengthening of the party-state. The nature of control …