Bribery as a Third Path to Power? Political Selection in China Beyond Performance and Patronage

Jonghyuk Lee

doi:10.1080/00472336.2026.2679579

June 9, 2026Journal of Contemporary Asia

Bribery as a Third Path to Power? Political Selection in China Beyond Performance and Patronage

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Key Points

The aim is to explore how bribery functions as a mechanism for political selection in authoritarian contexts like China.
Analyzed historical and contemporary political case studies in China.
Examined the roles of competence, loyalty, and bribery in officials' rise to power.
Bribery is identified as a significant alternative to competence and loyalty in political selection processes.
Economic incentives through bribery often outweigh traditional performance metrics.

Implication

Demonstrates how bribery influences political selection in authoritarian regimes, suggesting new pathways to power beyond traditional metrics.

Abstract

The study of political selection in authoritarian regimes has long been captive to a binary: officials rise either by demonstrating competence or by cultivating loyalty. Decades of scholarship on C...

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Cite This Study

Jonghyuk Lee (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2a526080c8f91e7f39e55c https://doi.org/10.1080/00472336.2026.2679579

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Bribery as a Third Path to Power? Political Selection in China Beyond Performance and Patronage

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Bribery as a Third Path to Power? Political Selection in China Beyond Performance and Patronage

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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