The Politics of the Core Leader in China

This is the first full-length scholarly study of the Chinese 'core' leader and his role in the Chinese Communist Party's elite politics.

Introduction; Part I. Theories, Culture, History, and Instititions: 1. Research models, leadership politics, and succession; 2. Structural context in Chinese elite politics; 3. Traditional political thought and imperial legacy; 4. Ideology, organization, and party norms; Part II. The Politics and Practice of the 'Core' Leader: 5. Political groupings: commonalities, factions, and cliques; 6. Politics of the 'core' leader from Mao to XI; 7. The 'core' leader and elite politics in practice; Conclusion.