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Song, C. (2024)

The oligarchy in China: a case study of China’s electricity industry, 1978-2013

Doctoral Thesis
This thesis records research into the oligarchy in China from 1978-2013. I study how an oligarchic power structure affected the formation of an oligopolistic market structure and how oligarchs interacted with oligopolies to effect a change of authority in this formation. I propose the “politics of oligarchy” to describe a government or constitution ruled by a few, especially wealthy, persons, serving their own interests. I argue that oligopoly arises when political oligarchs appropriate Leninist corporatism. In China’s electricity industry, Li Peng formed a dominant coalition of coal, electricity, and transportation (mei dian yun). As core infrastructure, the energy grid is critical. Except for the physical grid, it possessed formal patron-client relationships and all kinds of informal relationships of guanxi, such as kinship, friends, and workmates. It provided Li and his family with rent to mobilize support. It helped him seize political power and sustain...Show moreThis thesis records research into the oligarchy in China from 1978-2013. I study how an oligarchic power structure affected the formation of an oligopolistic market structure and how oligarchs interacted with oligopolies to effect a change of authority in this formation. I propose the “politics of oligarchy” to describe a government or constitution ruled by a few, especially wealthy, persons, serving their own interests. I argue that oligopoly arises when political oligarchs appropriate Leninist corporatism. In China’s electricity industry, Li Peng formed a dominant coalition of coal, electricity, and transportation (mei dian yun). As core infrastructure, the energy grid is critical. Except for the physical grid, it possessed formal patron-client relationships and all kinds of informal relationships of guanxi, such as kinship, friends, and workmates. It provided Li and his family with rent to mobilize support. It helped him seize political power and sustain his influence on China’s electricity industry for over 30 years. It also helped his son Li Xiaopeng succeed as a businessman and a government official. Because the party-state was captured with interlocking oligarchs, therefore, further marketization in China must tame oligarchs to tackle the interlocking problem.Show less
Oligarchy
Oligarch
Oligopoly
Corporatism
Rent
Rent-seeking
Electricity
Political power
All authors
Song, C.
Supervisor
Schneider, F.
Committee
Eaton, S.; Gerrits, A.; Kuo, C.; Ngo, T.
Qualification
Doctor (dr.)
Awarding Institution
Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS), Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University
Date
2024-11-15