The leadership relations that govern ties between higher and lower level party committees provide for nationwide discipline in policy implementation. Various factors self-interest, corruption, manipulation, and so forth erode this discipline, but on balance, because of the CCP China retains a remarkably strong executive capability for a developing country of its size and diversity. By integrating all political activity into one overarching organization, moreover, the CCP constrains what otherwise might become paralyzing fissiparous tendencies among various provinces and interests.
But the CCP’s monopoly of political power also means that problems in the CCP become problems for China’s overall political system. These problems are very substantial and include the following:
- Corruption and lack of commitment to real public service within the party are by no means
Universal but are widespread. Given the party’s ability to override legal and regulatory constraints, these problems can have very severe consequences both for the quality of governance and for popular sentiment.