| The Elite Capture theory suggests that the village elites in China are tempted to capture the local institution and resources for their own benefits. This paper studies the villager leaders' information distortion (as one of the major forms of elite capture) on election process. Based on the 2005 MCA survey, this paper finds that in around one fourth of the Chinese villages, the village party elites have provided distorted information when asked about the election process. The local Communist Party members within the village committee, as well as geographic regions and distance to administrative centers, determine the level of information distortion. |
