Call for Papers

The Call for Papers for “The Training and Management of Grassroots Cadres in Mainland China during the Xi Jinping Era” International Conference in Taipei, on October 12, 2020, is now open.

Conference Organizer:
Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University.

Submission Schedule:
Abstract submission deadline: March 20, 2020.
Full-paper submission deadline: September 12, 2020.

Theme:
The Training and Management of Grassroots Cadres in Mainland China during the Xi Jinping Era

The Topics:
The topics covered at the conference will focus on the training and management of grassroots cadres during the Xi era. The main sub-topics are listed below:
I. Training of Grassroots Cadres
1.    What new cadre recruitment practices have been adopted by the CCP to enhance its administrative capabilities (for example, the appointment of talented young cadres on temporary assignment to grassroots government or party posts)? How do these practices compare with those of the past?
2.    Are grassroots cadres falsifying their performance appraisals? How can their superiors verify whether they have actually accomplished what they claim? How do current inspection and appraisal methods differ from those of the past?
3.    What role does the Party School system, or other related systems, play in the training of grassroots cadres? What kind of training do these cadres undergo? Does it improve their problem-solving abilities? Does the training offer the cadres any other political advantages, such as the opportunity to establish a network of personal relationships?
II. Management of Grassroots Cadres
1.    What new procedures have been introduced for recruiting grassroots cadres since Xi Jinping began to emphasize the need to appoint young talented cadres? How effective is the evaluation of their work?
2.    Do these grassroots cadres suffer from the “glass ceiling” effect (for example do they find it difficult to get promoted above the county or division level?) Do grassroots cadres have their own independent promotion and management system distinct from that of senior cadres? If they do, what is the rationale for this arrangement?
3.    During the Xi era, new recruitment methods for grassroots cadres have been introduced, e.g., the recruitment of “selected graduates/ selected and transferred students (選調生).” Are similar methods in operation in other countries? If so, how do they compare with the methods used in China?
This is the first truly international workshop designed to address the existing interest in the middle powers against changing regional orders and to facilitate the sharing of empirical findings and theoretical arguments that this interest has generated. It is hoped that this workshop will lead to the dissemination of new ideas to an international scholarly audience as well as a surge in research on the middle powers.

Submission Guidelines:
Speakers should use the following format when submitting a paper. The word count must be at least 8,000 words in English.
I&S Format: https://bit.ly/37cONTq

Submission Instructions and Contact Person:
To submit your abstract of your contribution or to inquire about other questions, please contact the conference secretariat, Mr. Yu-wei Hu. (Email: ywhu@nccu.edu.tw ; Phone: +886-2-8237-7298)
The deadline for abstract submission is March 20, 2020.

Guidance and Notes for Submission:
After the conference, we will invite all participants to revise their manuscripts and submit them for publication in a special issue of the IIR journal, Issues & Studies. In other words, we will only accept original article that have not been submitted to other conferences or journals. Addtionally, the conference organizer, Institute of International Relations, will retain the full publication rights once the paper is committed.