China’s Decision-making System from Centralization to Democracy

ZHOU Guanghui

Professor from the Social Justice and Governance Research Center and School of Administration, Jilin University
Abstract: Established during the long years of revolutionary struggle and the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Communist Party of China(CPC)-led decision-making system has a

historical rationality. Before China’s reform and opening-up was implemented in 1978, the decision-making system highlighted centralization which led to disadvantages such as non-existent specialized division of functions, a low level of institutionalization, heavy reliance on experience, an enclosed decision-making mode and non-existent self-correction mechanisms. These disadvantages were institutional factors which ultimately caused the historic tragedy of “ Cultural Revolution.” After the reform and opening-up, the decision-making structure, mode and mechanism were reformed in order to promote scientific, democratic and law-based decisions. History has shown that the reform has successfully overcome various challenges brought about by China’s rapidly changing economy and society. From the perspective of political development, the reform has promoted several transitions: from individual controlled decision-making system to a more democratic decision-making process, from being empirical to scientifically-based, from highly centralized decision-making organizations to decentralized one, from an enclosed mode to an open mode, from passive to active participation in the decision-making process and from a non-institutionalized to an institutionalized system. Therefore, the CPC-led open decision-making model based on science and laws and participated by other parties has taken an initial shape.

Key words: decision- making system, centralized decision-making, democratic decision-making, scientific decision-making, law-based decision-making

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