ABSTRACT
In evaluating the performance of a political system, Gabriel A. Almond and G. Bingham Powell make use of the concept of “political goods” suggested by J. Roland Pennock. On the surface the Chinese Communist political system had made a major effort to adapt to the requirements of development by establishing functionally specific agencies and implementing its First Five-Year Plan. The Chinese Communist Party’s attitude toward Chinese peasants, supposedly the chief constituents of the Communists, was scarcely any different from its attitude toward intellectuals and non-Communist politicians. According to Almond and Powell, process goods constitute the second type of political goods whose production forms the basis for evaluating a political system. The three types of process goods are participation, compliance, and procedural justice. Participation brings important issues to the political process and supports friendly coalitions. Participation not only brings important issues to the political process but also gives the participants a sense of political efficacy, of influence, or of dignity.
