ABSTRACT
During the past half century, Chinese authorities have relied on enforcing anticorruption measures in a campaign style to curb the power abuse of the cadres for private gain. The features, function, logic, and effects of conducting these anticorruption campaigns have been the focus of mainstream literature. However, studies indicate that campaign-style enforcement methods are by nature ad hoc measures designed to relieve public resentment or to cool down the overheating economy rather than a systematic strategy for controlling corruption (Manion 2004; Quade 2007). Though conducting routine anticorruption campaigns may temporarily deter cadres’ corrupt behavior, eventually it leads to the intensification of high-stakes, high-level corruption in Chinese public sectors (Wedeman 2005).
