Leading small group

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In the political structure of China, a leading small group (Chinese: 领导小组; pinyin: lingdao xiaozu) or LSG, is an ad hoc supra-ministerial coordinating and consulting bodies formed to build consensus on issues that cut across the government, party, and military systems when the existing bureaucratic structure is unable to do so.[1] The authorization for the formation of leading groups comes from Chapter IX of the Constitution of the Communist Party of China[[1]]

There are two types of LSG. Party leading small groups manage policy for the Politburo and Secretariat, and State Council leading small groups coordinate policy implementation for the government.[2] These groups provide a mechanism for top decision makers to exchange views-both formally and informally-and to develop recommendations for the Politburo and the State Council.

LSGs do not formulate concrete policies (Chinese: 政策; pinyin: zhengce), but rather issue guiding principles about the general direction in which bureaucratic activity should move (Chinese: 方针; pinyin: fangzhen). A fangzhen provides the framework for the development of zhengce. The recommendations of leading groups are likely to have considerable influence on the policymaking process because they represent the consensus of the leading members of the relevant government, party, and military agencies. In some cases, the Chinese leadership will adopt an LSG’s recommendation with little or no modification. LSGs, which have no permanent staff, rely on their offices to manage daily operations and for research and policy recommendations. Consequently, the effectiveness of an LSG often depends on the effectiveness of its office.[2]

Most governmental agencies in the PRC have a leading small groups. Examples of important leading small groups include the Foreign Affairs Leading Small Group [[3]] and the now-defunct Economics and Finance Leading Group [[4]. An example of how a Party leading group can influence or control governmental authority can be seen in the regulations for the Ministry of Personnel [[5]]. The existence of party leading groups in the PRC judicial system [[6]] which are subordinate to the party center has often been cited as violation of judicial independence [[7]].

Leading small groups have become increasingly important within the PRC after the 1990s, especially in the field of foreign policy where the LSGs have become a tool for coordinating the work of several agencies as well as insuring party supervision over government activities.

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  1. ^ This paragraph is based on Lu Ning, “The Central Leadership, Supraministry Coordinating Bodies, State Council Ministries, and Party Departments,” in David M. Lampton, ed., The Making of Chinese Foreign and Security Policy in the Era of Reform (Stanford University Press, 2001), pp. 45–49; and David M. Lampton, “China’s Foreign and National Security Policymaking Process: Is It Changing, and Does It Matter?” in David M. Lampton, ed., The Making of Chinese Foreign and Security Policy in the Era of Reform (Stanford University Press, 2001), pp. 16–19.
  2. ^ Jing Huang, Factionalism in Chinese Communist Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2000), pp. 414–17; and Kenneth Lieberthal and Michel Oksenberg, Policy Making in China: Leaders, Structures and Processes (Princeton University Press, 1988), pp. 26–27.