Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Monday, July 15, 2013

Talking a good game

In my experience, talking about the importance of a policy is often either a substitute for implementation or a sign that the policy is merely symbolic.

See Back to the Future for an introduction to this issue.

CPC's "mass line" campaign not a short-term movement

Experts said the "mass line" education campaign recently launched by the Communist Party of China (CPC) will not be a short-term movement, but a long-term effort to strengthen ties between the Party and the people…

Symbols of an old mass line

"Mass line" refers to a guideline under which CPC officials and members are required to prioritize the interests of the people and persist in exercising power for them…

The CPC has initiated multiple movements throughout its history in order to aid in the implementation of new policies.

However, such methodology has been seen as old-fashioned and not compatible with contemporary society. In addition, such movements typically lasted for only a limited time, resulting in some problems re-emerging after the movements concluded.

The CPC is facing a more complicated situation in maintaining ties with the public, as rapid economic and social development has resulted in conflicts between different social groups.

"Therefore, the CPC needs to build systems and mechanisms to encourage its members to interact with the public and guarantee its mass line principle," Gao Xinmin, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said…