Patronage and Power Local State Networks and Party-State Resilience in Rural China

"Hillman's decade-long study of a poor, isolated rural area of southwest China provides a corrective to media reports of rural discontent and riots. Hillman finds that the lower down the administrative ladder-prefecture, county, township, village-authority fragments and turns into complex, informal patronage networks, often based on kin and chums, that both collect and distribute spoils . . . Highly recommended."-M. G. Roskin, CHOICE "Power and Patronageis built upon terrific, extended fieldwork that ferrets out a great deal about the generally impenetrable inner dynamics of local politics in China. Hillman shows how local politics looks very different from the standard state-society models once we dig deeper. A very important book."-Marc Blecher, Oberlin College "Patronage and Power is a fascinating exploration of the inner workings of the local state in China. Empirically rich and analytically sophisticated, this study adds greatly to our understanding of local politics in China and the forces holding the Party-state together. A must-read for all interested in contemporary Chinese politics and society."-Jonathan Unger, Australian National University "Hillman provides a rare and fascinating account of rural politics in China...In the past, several scholars have looked at the local state to answer the question of why, despite of blatant socio-economic changes and rising inequalities, the Chinese Communist Party remains in power. Hillman's work is also inspired by this question. What makes his study unique is the nuanced picture he provides of rural politics, presenting local cadres as both maximizers of their own personal gain, and as political agents willing to get things done at grassroots level. Hence, the book is a welcome addition to the literature on the Chinese local state, and provides new insight for experts in the field of Chinese politics."-Sabrina Habich, Journal of Chinese Political Science