“Rule of law” with Chinese characteristics: Evolution and manipulation

Government under law or law under government? Rule of law or rule by law? That was the hotly debated constitutional law topic in China during the last two decades of the twentieth century. In her article, “Shifting Meanings of Fazhi and China’s Journey toward Socialist Rule of Law”, Professor Ye gives us a careful and thoughtful analysis of relevant developments that includes the decisive outcome reinforced by current Communist Party chief Xi Jinping. Drawing upon China’s imperial traditions and dictatorial Legalist philosophy, Xi wields law as an instrument of comprehensive official power, although in practice his repression strays into Communist lawlessness.

‘Mercury is in a Very Ape-Like Mood’

Frieda, Lady Harris, wife of Sir Percy Harris, Liberal M.P. and party Chief Whip, created the magnificent Tarot paintings that underpin Aleister Crowley’s The Book of Thoth. Harris conformed to the conventional appearance of a respectable middle-class lady until she was in her sixties. However, her unwavering commitment to Aleister Crowley and the Tarot project eventually threatened not only her social standing, but also her marriage. Despite her dedication to the Thoth Tarot, she never fully engaged with Thelema, which she anthropomorphised as the bossy and interfering ‘Miss Thelema’. Nevertheless, she progressed through the grades of Crowley’s magical orders and remained loyal to Crowley and the Great Work to the end of her days, endeavouring to secure a publishing deal for a general release of The Book of Thoth and the Thoth Tarot deck. Using extracts from Harris and Crowley’s correspondence and Crowley’s diaries, this paper will explore Harris’s personal involvement with Thelema, both in her collaborative activities with Crowley, and her endeavours to preserve his legacy after his death.

India's public health will be an election battleground

Subject India's nationwide clean-up campaign. Significance Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ (‘Clean India Mission’) is now in its fifth and final year. While the programme aims to eliminate the country’s culture of open defecation, many Dalits (historically regarded as ‘untouchable’) working as manual scavengers continue to make up for an infrastructure deficit in urban sewerage. Modi will be seeking a second term in the general election, likely in April or May next year, but his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces a tough challenge from rivals including the main opposition Congress party. Impacts The BJP’s election campaign will likely have a strong emphasis on Hindu nationalism. Mayawati, Bahujan Samaj Party chief and a Dalit, will be a key figure in talks about forming a broad anti-BJP alliance for the election. Water shortages could prompt pre-poll protests in several cities across India.

Horizontal “checks and balances” in the socialist regime: the party chief and mayor template

János Kornai's pioneering scholarship examined the mechanisms of the socialist system. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kornai's main focus was on the transition process in former socialist countries in central Eastern Europe. This paper builds on Kornai's work on the socialist system by analyzing horizontal bargaining within every political branch in contemporary China. I argue that this horizontal bargaining within the party is enhanced by the vertical bargaining. Incorporating Kornai's work on socialism, the “party chief and mayor” template extends the bargaining model from one key figure and one group in the “king and council” template to two key figures and their respective confidants. In addition, it incorporates institutional constraints into the graphical model. It also defines a “collective decision probability function,” which shows how the party chief and mayor model reaches “checks and balances” that limit the policy space, regardless of whether the policy is exogenous or endogenous.

Vietnam’s Trong will step up anti-corruption campaign

Subject The presidency following Tran Dai Quang's death. Significance The 200-person central committee of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) said last week it had unanimously proposed General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to be state president in succession to Tran Dai Quang, who died last month after a long illness. Since 2017, Vietnam’s anti-corruption drive has targeted various party, state and military institutions. Impacts The CPV will debate whether the party general secretary should customarily hold the state presidency, as in China and Laos. Diplomatic protocol may be easier with the same person as party chief and president. Dinh The Huynh could be replaced on the politburo.

Bucharest mayor threatens Romanian ruling party chief

Headline ROMANIA: Bucharest mayor emerges to rival party chief

China purge puts orderly leadership handover in doubt

Subject The purge and replacement of erstwhile presidential contender Sun Zhengcai. Significance Politburo member Sun Zhengcai, once seen as a potential successor to Xi Jinping as president, has been removed from his post as Party chief of Chongqing and placed under investigation. Chen Min'er, a Xi loyalist, replaces him. Impacts The top leadership will probably manage to present a relatively united front to the public ahead of the Party Congress. In the much longer term, the corrosion of collective leadership could reduce political stability, which may damage investor confidence. An administration composed of officials whose thinking matches that of the core leader is less likely to generate effective policy.

Corporate political activity and environmental sustainability disclosure

Purpose Taking on a corporate political activity (CPA) perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how CPA affects environmental sustainability disclosure among firms in China and whether the disclosure level varies across ownership structures and environmental sensitivity statuses. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprises 652 corporate social responsibility reports released by firms in China during 2008-2010. Data are coded through a content analysis procedure before being analyzed using regression analysis. Findings The authors find a significant and positive association between CPA and environmental sustainability disclosure. However, the effect of CPA on environmental sustainability disclosure is significantly negative among firms in the environmentally sensitive industries (ESIs) and privately owned enterprises (POEs). More specifically, a firm’s environmental disclosure level is lower when the proportion of board members with a significant status, such as party chief of the Communist Party, is higher among firms in ESIs and POEs. This implies that firms with guanxi (i.e. Chinese-specific CPA) are more likely to be free from trouble. Originality/value This empirical study offers important evidence on the fulfillment of environmental sustainability policies and the effectiveness of regulatory controls that China has used in the development toward a low-carbon economy.

Russian Communists will campaign hard in Duma election

Subject The Russian Communist Party's more robust election campaign Significance Five months ahead of elections to the State Duma, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) is preparing its most aggressive electoral campaign since 2003. It will challenge the ruling United Russia party on government corruption and incompetence, and try to harness popular resentment at declining living standards. This approach is at odds with the CPRF's tactic over recent years of seeking preferential treatment in return for political compliance. Impacts Anti-corruption and anti-austerity messages may win the CPRF more votes than polls suggest, although nothing close to a majority. Communist support for grassroots protests may prevent them getting out of hand, but the CPRF risks being blamed if things go wrong. A dynamic campaign may boost the position of party chief Gennady Zyuganov, whose leadership is being questioned by younger activists.