The Chinese Communist Party's Nomenklatura System

The term “nomenklatura’’ means “nomenclature,’’ “a list of positions, arranged in order of seniority, including a description of the duties of each office. Perhaps the major instrument of Communist Party control of contemporary China’s political, economic, social, and cultural institutions is the nomenklatura system. The system consists of lists of leading positions, over which party units exercise the power to make appointments and dismissals; lists of reserves or candidates for these posi...