Proactive Local Elites: How Local Elites Reconcile Conflicts Between Native and Non-native Officials in China

• In Event: Development, Redistribution and Policy in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

The attention and support of higher-level governments play a pivotal role in fostering policy innovation at the grassroots level. Beyond conventional bureaucratic mechanisms, grassroots governments often engage local elites outside the bureaucratic system to interact with higher-level authorities, seeking their attention and support. This forms a triangular dynamic among "grassroots governments – local elites – higher-level governments," encompassing strategies such as tacit resistance and leveraging lobbying. These patterns illustrate how grassroots governments mobilize local elites to influence higher-level governments while maintaining their leadership role. This framework has been widely considered applicable to government practices in China. However, recent shifts challenge the assumption of "weak local elites," particularly at the grassroots level.

With the increasing prevalence of interregional official appointments within the Chinese government, conflicts between native and non-native officials at the grassroots level have intensified. The diminishing effectiveness of native officials in leading grassroots efforts, compared to earlier periods, raises questions about alternative actors assuming a dominant role in this triangular interaction.

Drawing on the case of County Y in China, this study demonstrates how local elites proactively rather than passively engage in the intergovernmental policy process, reshaping the dynamics between native grassroots officials and non-native officials from higher levels. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the triangular relationship among "grassroots governments – local elites – higher-level governments." First, this research addresses a gap in the bureaucratic management literature, which has largely overlooked conflicts between native and non-native officials. Second, while prior studies have acknowledged the importance of local elites in higher-lower government interactions, few have highlighted their capacity to assume a dominant role in grassroots agenda-setting.

Author

• Xinsen Wei, Tsinghua University
  Presenting Author