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NEW: The CCP says it is “the vanguard of the Chinese working class,” but its members are increasingly elite & the bar for entry is rising under Xi Jinping.
@neilthomas123 analyzes new data series on CCP growth, selectivity, composition and representation: https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
@neilthomas123 analyzes new data series on CCP growth, selectivity, composition and representation: https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
1/ CCP membership growth hit a record high under Hu Jintao, but Xi wanted to "control numbers". So he reversed the trend.
In Xi's first 5-year term, membership growth declined every year from 2013 to 2017: https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
In Xi's first 5-year term, membership growth declined every year from 2013 to 2017: https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
2/ Although 6.6% of the Chinese population are CCP members, under Xi, the annual # of new recruits plummeted.
Xi wanted to reform the Party & recruit loyalists, not opportunists. His anti-corruption campaign was just one aspect of tighter CCP discipline: https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
Xi wanted to reform the Party & recruit loyalists, not opportunists. His anti-corruption campaign was just one aspect of tighter CCP discipline: https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
3/ The CCP already has a rigorous selection process for applicants, but Xi made acceptance even harder to “improve quality” in the Party.
If the CCP was a college, its 2019 acceptance rate was ~12.3%, double that of Yale, & slightly tougher than Amherst. https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
If the CCP was a college, its 2019 acceptance rate was ~12.3%, double that of Yale, & slightly tougher than Amherst. https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
4/ Tougher vetting of membership is also reflected in the # of applicants accepted as “Party activists” (入党积极分子), the first stage of a four-step membership process.
Except for 2018, the absolute # of Party activists has declined in every year during Xi's tenure.
Except for 2018, the absolute # of Party activists has declined in every year during Xi's tenure.
5/ Some trends in CCP composition and representation have continued under Xi. The Party has aged, and has barely improved on its minority representation. https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
6/ Xi wants to "optimize" the Party structure by recruiting younger, higher-educated, more female, & better-employed members.
In 2019, over half of the CCP membership had at least a junior college degree, up from 18.3% in 1998. https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
In 2019, over half of the CCP membership had at least a junior college degree, up from 18.3% in 1998. https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
7/ Better education also comes with professionalization in the Party, which started out as workers and peasants but now sees more and more white-collar professionals: https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
8/ In short, the CCP has consciously changed the composition of its membership over the last few decades to create a more elitist organization, dominated by the highly-educated & more removed from its worker-peasant roots.
Read our analysis: https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
Read our analysis: https://macropolo.org/analysis/members-only-recruitment-trends-in-the-chinese-communist-party/
