From rule of man to rule of law: An unintended consequence of corruption in China in the 1990s

The ethics of government in the People's Republic of China have been corroded by rampant corruption over the last two decades. The corruption has not only weakened the state's legitimacy and capacity to govern, but also provided an opportunity (to a certain degree, a catalyst) for a possible change from a traditional society ruled by man into a rational‐legal society ruled by law. Economic reforms over the past 20 years have unleashed market forces in a nation so dominated by the Party‐state that basic boundaries and distinctions defining the limits of markets and official power have been weak or nonexistent. At one level, this has made for an increase in corruption and confusion about the meanings of the term. At another, it has produced a situation that requires the improvement of the legal system to handle the issue effectively. Beijing leadership seems to have realized the importance of strengthening the legal system in addressing this issue. This shift in strategy may have profound implications for the prospect of institutionalizing the changes in post‐Deng China. This paper hopes to reveal how corruption, or the effort to check corruption, is helping to draw a distinction between private and public domain and between politics and administration, to redefine codes of conduct for public administrators, and to demand institution‐building in political processes.