Analysing the pattern of promotions provides illuminating evidence on current levels of corruption in Chinese bureaucracy
There has been significant debate amongst Western analysts regarding the corruption that exists in the Chinese bureaucracy. Peter Lorentzen analyses the pattern of promotions in Chinese politics, exploiting the fact that promotions are based on the judgement of a person's performance by their superiors. He finds that whilst people who got promoted for little reason faced an increased likelihood of being arrested on corruption charges in the future, this did not apply to associates of President Xi Jinping.