Elite Chinese Politics and Political Economy

Some discussion on how lower officials influence the elite players:

For the provinces, the
most direct way to influence policies is direct lobbying through the factional
network, which results in particularistic benefits to selected localities. The
other main way is simply non-compliance a la Lieberthal. Rampant non-compliance
will at times force a policy change. They also lobby for policies at the annual
meetings on various issues, but I think much of that masks particularistic
lobbying.

For the ministries and commissions, they also have considerable agenda power.
It is a complicated relationship that the central bureaucracy has with the top
leaders. On the one hand, they watch for political signals from the center
when they propose policies. On the other hand, they have considerable leeway
on the finer details of the policy that can move the policy dialogue in a given
direction. The top leaders mostly jsut care about the net outcome of a
particular policy.