Erosion of State Power and the Political Boundaries of Corruption
Speaker: Yang Xie (UC Riverside)
Date: Oct. 26, Friday, 2018
Time: 12 pm - 1 pm
Venue: Room 1300 at Pudong Campus
Abstract:
What is the connection between corruption and the state apparatus in an autocracy? We build a model emphasizing the corrosive effect of corruption on state power. Under general assumptions about fat-tailed risk, we show that the optimal response for an autocratic ruler is an endogenous lexicographic rule whereby the corruption level is maintained at an upper boundary such that no erosion of state power is tolerated. The model is then applied to the reality of crony capitalism and the party-state in China where corruption has become a central issue since 2012. The response by the Center to too high corruption depends on the need to retain local officials in the party-state system, the power distribution within the Center, and the de facto dependence of central leaders on support by provincial officials.
Speaker’s website:
https://yangxie.weebly.com/
Speaker: Yang Xie (UC Riverside)
Date: Oct. 26, Friday, 2018
Time: 12 pm - 1 pm
Venue: Room 1300 at Pudong Campus
Abstract:
What is the connection between corruption and the state apparatus in an autocracy? We build a model emphasizing the corrosive effect of corruption on state power. Under general assumptions about fat-tailed risk, we show that the optimal response for an autocratic ruler is an endogenous lexicographic rule whereby the corruption level is maintained at an upper boundary such that no erosion of state power is tolerated. The model is then applied to the reality of crony capitalism and the party-state in China where corruption has become a central issue since 2012. The response by the Center to too high corruption depends on the need to retain local officials in the party-state system, the power distribution within the Center, and the de facto dependence of central leaders on support by provincial officials.
Speaker’s website:
https://yangxie.weebly.com/