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The king can do no wrong: On the criminal immunity of leaders

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  • Che, Jiahua
  • Chung, Kim-Sau
  • Qiao, Xue

Abstract

In its recent anti-corruption campaign, China removed the criminal immunity originally enjoyed by its leaders. Absent fundamental changes in the political institution—in which incumbent leaders, instead of citizens at large, select the next leaders—such a partial reform pays off only if (i) it takes place at the “right” time, (ii) it goes easy on corrupt low-rank officials, and (iii) the government is reasonably centralized. Failing any of these, such a partial reform would lead to rampant corruption throughout the government hierarchy—an outcome far worse than retaining leader immunity.

Suggested Citation

  • Che, Jiahua & Chung, Kim-Sau & Qiao, Xue, 2019. "The king can do no wrong: On the criminal immunity of leaders," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 15-26.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:170:y:2019:i:c:p:15-26
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.11.008
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Bin & Zheng, Yu, 2020. "A model of tournament incentives with corruption," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 182-197.
    2. Zhao, Renjie & Chen, Jie & Feng, Chen & Zhong, Shihu, 2020. "The impact of anti-corruption measures on land supply and the associated implications: The case of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    3. Chu, Angus C. & Kou, Zonglai & Wang, Xilin, 2022. "An economic analysis of political meritocracy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    4. Li, Weijia & Roland, Gérard & Xie, Yang, 2022. "Crony capitalism, the party-state, and the political boundaries of corruption," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 652-667.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Leader immunity; Hostage motive; Corruption; Autocracy; Party elites;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets
    • P37 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Legal

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