Eleven Key Characteristics of china policy process

1. china has not institutionalized its policy making institutions

* Leaders move decision making authority to new government bodies
* they may alter the rules or membership
2. the ability to control decisions often based on leaders power fixed rules in
established instutions
3. based on their priorities, New leader introduce new policies strategies and
directions
4. althought it's an authoritarian system, china leaders often hear society raising
problems to which tey respond
5.the bureaucracy both implements policy and impedes implementation when feeling
treatened
6. most reforms shift china from a planned to a market deregulation weakens
breaucrats authority over goods and services, so bureacrats must be bought off
7. tension exist between localties and beijing as each introduces policies to
expand their own resources base
* the central government usually allows adjustments based on local
conditions,
but central governments has trouble monitoring evade
8. china often tries out a new policy in test points before introducing it to the
whole country, and investigators (work teams) check implementation in localties
9. since the mid 2000s, vested interests- the bureaucracy, state owned enterprises,
mining and energy factions, the public security apparatus, etc. have used their
power to resist new policies
10. reforms often occur through a big push from the central leaders- policy waves -
when a series of new reforms are introduced simultaneously
11. power comes from setting the agenda - if something does not good on the agenda,
it cannot happen, except at the localty.

agenda setting
1. Leaders decide which issues need resolving
2. leaders propose policies that enchance their political strength, resolve social
problems, fulfill promises made while campaigning for office or match their
ideology.
3. even in non- electoral systems, elites are pressured to respond to demands from
society'
4. crises are thrust onto political agenda from overseas
5. who calls the meeting sets the agenda

Non-decisions reflect political power

-DEFINITION : Issues that need resolving for the good of society but remain off the
decision making agenda.

- non decisions often equated with "second face of power"

- if power is the ability to make A to B when she did not want to do it, the
"second face of power" is the ability to stop a from doing to B when she wanted to
-powerful forces, known as vested

Example of Non decision

- when every one knows there is an environmental problem but the government does
nothing about it.
- beijing had dirty air for many years ;
- U.S Reagan administration denied existence of acid rain
- Sexual assault of women in india kept off the agenda
- Look at two cases of similar enviromental problems where one locality cleans up
but another doesn't
- the answer will say a lot about power in the locality