| Abstract: | Taking converted schools at the level of basic education in Shanghai as an example, this article explores the structure of policy implementation in contemporary China. Based on 65 interviews and a two-conception analytical framework, the article proposes the model of structural fracturation. The model argues that the discrepancy between policy content and policy outcome is determined by structural factors that no single actor could manipulate. The pyramid of Chinese politics is a loose construction, with horizontal and vertical fracturations between different layers. The model highlights the fact that governments below the provincial level are remote from and beyond the control of the state and the provinces. They deserve more attention than they have received. |
