Retrofitting Leninism

Description

Retrofitting Leninism explains, through the lens of China, how open governance and modern information technology come together to sustain a tightly controlled but socially responsive system of authoritarianism.

When closed authoritarian regimes reform and open up, they often fail, most eventually breakdown. The People's Republic of China stands as a notable exception. How has the ruling Chinese Communist Party maintained power throughout decades of reform and rapid development? Drawing inspiration from the CCP's Leninist origins, Dimitar Gueorguiev offers a novel and empirically grounded explanation. The key to the CCP's staying power, he argues, is its ability to integrate authoritarian control with social inclusion - a combination that is being facilitated by modern telecommunications technology. Relying on statistical data, media reports, and a series of original opinion polls, Gueorguiev explores how public input feeds into political oversight and policy planning. To unpack how public preferences are acquired, processed, and prioritized, he analyses bottom-up representation and coordination in local Chinese legislatures. Finally, to evaluate the impact of inclusion, he shows that public engagement contributes to both policy stability and public satisfaction. Although public inclusion is instrumental to the CCP's hold on power, Gueorguiev underscores that "inclusive authoritarianism" greatly depends on the voluntary participation of Chinese citizens, which is far from guaranteed. A trenchant exploration of the Leninist model today, Retrofitting Leninism will reshape our understanding of the authoritarian approach to government and its prospects for the future.

About the author

Dimitar D. Gueorguiev is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Table of contents

Introduction
The Party and the People
Participation without Democracy
Plan of the Book
Chapter 1: Blending Control and Inclusion
Governing Under Autocracy
Theoretical Illustration
Updating Leninism in China
Chapter 2: Foundations of Controlled Inclusion
Historical Roots
Political Legacies
Maoist Characteristics
Selective Reform
Chapter 3: Participation in Oversight
Feedback Control
Network Supervision
Whistleblower Effects
Chapter 4: Participation in Planning
Structured Consultation
Trial Balloons
Gauging Public Opinion
Chapter 5: Bottom-Up Information Processing
Information Processing
Structured Representation
Prioritization
Chapter 6: Policy Stability and Blunders
Soliciting Public Input
Downstream Stability
No Need for Speed
Chapter 7: Spending Together
Rebuilding Trust
An Unlikely Experiment
Grassroots Connection
Chapter 8: Remote Control
From Hardware to Software
Passive Control
Disconnected
Chapter 9: Conclusion
Double Hedging for the Future
A China Model
Final Thoughts