The development of party rules in preventing corruption in China : a historical and comparative perspective

Abstract

Academic discussions on corruption and anti-corruption in China is heated. “Anticorruption by Party rules” has currently become the mainstream ideology and guidelines of anti-corruption strategy in China, rather than the original “anti-corruption by campaigns” and “anti-corruption by power”. This dissertation takes the Chinese Communist Party Disciplinary Regulations as an example, focusing on the application and practice of Party rules and regulations in preventing corruption from a historical perspective. In addition, it also explores the Chinese Communist Party Standards on Integrity and Self Discipline and the Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Internal Oversight. In fact, Party rules are mainly formulated and implemented by the institutional design of anti-corruption departments, including the Commission for Discipline Inspection and the anti-corruption departments of the People’s Procuratorate. This dissertation also examines the relationship and influence of Party rules and national laws in preventing and combating corruption from a comparative perspective, and finds that Party rules play a more important role than the rule of law in anticorruption practice. Furthermore, three specific strategies of Party rules are explored, including “The Four Forms of Oversight and Discipline Enforcement”, “Party Rules and Discipline Stricter than National Law, Party Rules and Discipline in Front of National Law” and “Three Distinctions”. Finally, the establishment of the Supervisory Commission has challenged the effectiveness and applicability of the Party rules, which is also presented in this dissertation.