Getting
inside the system is hard, and government officials are reluctant to be interviewed or
questioned by academics, even more so when it comes to how they operate behind the
scenes.
The only way to get access to officials and debate such important but sensitive
matters is to gain their confidence and trust: both hard to obtain. Access may in fact be
easiest for the relatively few leading academics with excellent reputations who already
circulate in the field and who more or less act as what might be called either participatory
observers or observing participants. It is likely that finding a balance between obtaining
the trust of officials and dealing with it responsibly is themain challenge in extending our
knowledge as to how policy networks really operate in China. Theoretical advancement,
as we discuss it above, will then follow suit.