ABSTRACT
For the past twenty-five years the Chinese government has waged a war against corruption. Triggered by a surge in corruption following the adoption of economic reforms in the late 1970s, the war has witnessed alternating periods of feverish crackdowns and less intense routine policing. 1 Yet, despite all the noise and fury that accompany periodic campaigns and the leadership’s oft repeated warning that struggle against corruption is a matter of “life and death,” it is not clear if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is winning or losing the war.
