The Logic Of Party Networks

This article explores the Chinese Communist Party(CCP)'s role in contemporary China.While studies including“civil society" and“corporatism" focus attention on the impact of state control and repression on Chinese civil society,the increasingly independent role of the Communist Party has been largely overlooked.Focusing on the recent changes of social policy,Party drive to“comprehensively cover" society by establishing footholds in so-called“two new" organizations-new economic and new social organizations created since market reform.This paper tries to establish a framework of Party network typology to analysis party network mechanisms.And with the help of a case of a city party shaping local governance flexibility,the paper explains the party types and its operating mechanism.This framework contains two institutional dimensions,one for the direct leadership,the other for the political symbol.With the strength of the two systems link changing,we will see the party network presents three types:vertical mobilization system,vertical integrated system,transverse coordinated system,which gradually show party network of resources integration and organizational coordinating function.