Changing Models of China's Policy Agenda Setting

Abstract

In any society the number of potential public issues almost always exceeds the capabilities of the government to process them. Issues thus must compete for a place on the decision-making agenda. While it is certainly a dimension of power to influence the decision-making process per se, it is perhaps even more important to have a say in setting the agenda. This article proposes a typology of six agenda-setting models and discusses how those models have evolved in contemporary China. It argues that only by grasping a subtle yet significant transformation of agenda-setting models can one fully appreciate the extent to which China's political system has changed.