By examining the various processes of elite selection, this book explores the role played by institutionalization in elite recruitment, promotion and turnover in China. Drawing on a wide range of studies, this book looks at Politburo members, senior People's Liberation Army officers, provincial leaders, heads of major central state-owned enterprises, and Youth League affiliates, to provide a comprehensive understanding of elite recruitment and mobility in contemporary China.

Chien-wen Kou is Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies, and the Director of the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies, National Chengchi University, Taiwan (ROC).

Xiaowei Zang is Professor of Chinese Studies and Head of the School of East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield, UK and Chair Professor of Social Sciences and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong.

1. Introduction: Informal Politics Embedded in Institutional Contexts: Elite Politics in Contemporary China 2. Entry into the Politburo of the CCP: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Institutionalization 3. The Roadmap of Upward Advancement for PLA Leaders 4. Paths to the Top Leadership in China: The Case of Provincial Leaders 5. The Rule-Bound Personnel Turnover of China's Provincial Leaders, 1993- 2010 6. Between the Hierarchy and the Market: Managerial Career Trajectories in China's Energy Sector 7. The Rise of Youth League Affiliates and Their Paths to the Top