A Tight Grip

State Power and Control in Modern China

By: Wen-Hsuan Tsai

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Paperback | 14 July 2026

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A non-democratic regime has two problems that make political survival more challenging than it is for other types of government: How does a ruler share power with other members of the political elite? And how does the regime control society? A Tight Grip examines the strategies that China's current, and longest-serving, head of state has used to resolve these questions and bolster his leadership of the world's second-most populous country.

Wen-Hsuan Tsai explores the president's method of concentrating decision-making power in his own hands through political dominance and ideological control while still increasing the avenues of advancement available to grassroots cadres. As long as they display good political performance, they can achieve rapid promotion at the local level. As a result, China's leader has managed to expand the reach of social control while reducing its cost to the regime. In both cases, the leader of communist China has employed innovative measures to signal his threats and promises and discourage resistance.

A Tight Grip is an in-depth exploration of institutional and policy instruments aimed at developing a restricted power-sharing model and at maintaining tight social order. This clear-eyed assessment of particular regulations reveals not only their pros and cons but also their implications for China's political development.

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