ABSTRACT
The monopolistic role of Chinese party-state and its elite in forming the policy agenda renders the policy process distinctly different from and less transparent than its counterpart in western democracies. By comparison with the time- and energy-consuming policy debates characteristic of mass media and representative institutions in democratic countries, China's state-led policy process can be time-saving and sometimes more effective. The ideological constraints on the Chinese policy process had been removed, attention switched to the problem of institutional constraints such as the over-monopolistic role of the party-state, and the absence of policy-supporting democratic mechanisms and the mass media. Since the Chinese government is still far from being highly modernized and institutionalized, correct decision making, effective enforcement and scientific assessment in policy agenda remain future targets for administrative reform. Although campaigning has been much less important in Chinese politics since the reform, the party still utilizes its mobilizing resources for policy implementation.
