Fighting the Prairie Fire: Why do Local Party-States in China Respond to Contentious Challengers Differently?

摘要

Why do local officials across China respond differently to societal challengers? In this article, the authors analysed six recent and influential social protests in China-the Dongyang protest (2005), Xiamen protest (2007), Weng'an protest (2008), Shanghai Anti-MagLev Railway Project protest (2008), Shenzhen protest (2008) and Shishou protest (2009). The article demonstrates that disparities in state capacity noticeably affect the trajectories of contentious collective actions and shape government responses in China. Local states in China respond to social protests by dynamically and vigorously assessing their capacity as the social protest develops, and by weighing the probable effectiveness of control measures designated for the locale.