This book develops an informational theory to account for the coexistence of China’s exceptionally resilient authoritarianism and its high decentralization. The nuanced information contained in citizens’ complaints, which are filed through the petition system, helps to sustain China’s decentralized authoritarianism in three important ways. First, petitions help to alleviate the information asymmetry problem that arises when the central government has less information than lower level governments do. When studying citizens’ petitions, higher level governments can obtain valuable and accurate information about local officials’ performance in policy implementation, public goods provision, and corruption. Higher level governments need this information in order to effectively utilize the cadre management system to reward good performance and punish malpractice. The result of this interaction is the PRC’s relatively high quality of governance and effective control of local officials. There is also a second way in which citizens’ petitions help the government to overcome the dictator’s dilemma that arises when an authoritarian regime is uncertain about how much support it really enjoys among its citizens. Citizens’ specific grievances are revealed in these petitions and are mostly addressed in their beginning stages. When citizens’ complaints are rooted in central policy, they set the agenda for policy change in order to maintain social order. There is yet a third benefit conferred upon the PRC by the petition system. Thanks to the petition system, the central government can present itself as the ally of citizens when it addresses the matters raised by their petitions. As a result, the petition system grants the central government an opportunity to hold local officials accountable, scapegoat local authorities, divide citizens and local officials, and justly claim all the credit when its policies succeed. This helps to build citizens’ trust in their central government and reinforces its legitimacy in their eyes. In Huntington’s terms, the Chinese Communist Party institutionalizes mass support by addressing citizens’ grievances expressed through the channel of communication provided by the petition system. In this sense, the complaints of citizens can be very useful tools for regime maintenance. The author substantiates these points with case studies and statistical analysis.

Supplements contain abstracts of House of Assembly and Legislative Council debates.

This text has been admired for as long as Family Medicine has been a recognized specialty. Edited by the legendary Robert E. Rakel, MD, this superb 7th edition continues to break new ground. Includes materials to help hone your clinical skills and prepare for the ABFP boards and SPEX exams. Highlights especially important points of diagnosis and therapy in the case section of book. Provides Best Evidence Recommendations boxes to promote greater reliability of information. Offers a free CD-rom containing video clips of diabetes testing, stress test and all the illustrations from the book! Contains new chapters on complementary and alternative medicine. Takes a fresh new approach to evidence based medicine in clinical practice. Uses a visually appealing, functional 4-color design and a full-color insert.

Good police officers are often promoted into supervisory positions with little or no training for what makes a good manager. Effective Police Supervision is positioned to be the core text in college-level classes on supervisory practices in criminal justice and will provide students with an understanding of the group behaviors and organizational dynamics necessary to understand the fundamentals of police administration. This Study Guide gives students a place to test themselves and review the material so they are well prepared for their examinations. NEW THIS EDITION Following the changes to the Effective Police Supervision textbook, this Study Guide has a new title and approach for Chapter 2: Community-Oriented Policing and Problem Solving -- Improving Neighborhood Quality of Life. It has moved the discussion of training into Chapter 9 and has added a new Chapter 16, Homeland Security and Terrorism—A Changing Role. Helps the student to grasp key concepts and synthesize the material in a meaningful and applicable way that goes beyond learning by rote. Learning Objectives and Key Terms help the reader to focus on key material as they read the text. Questions and answer key give the reader the opportunity to measure how well they are grasping the material.