Institutions Without Belief: Incalculability and Legitimate Domination Under the Chinese Communist Party

Despite the focus in the extant literature on the significance of institutions to the stability of nondemocratic regimes, little attention has been paid to the relationship between institutionalization and authoritarian legitimation. In a review of three recent works, the article proposes the importance of considering this relationship alongside analyses of institutional change within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Based on Max Weber's conceptualization of the rational‐legal basis of legitimate domination, the article thus examines the extent to which institutionalization contributes to the legitimacy and durability of the CCP. Through a survey of the relevant scholarship, the article finally suggests that institutions under the CCP lack the high degree of “calculability” required under Weber's definition of rational‐legal institutions, which raises questions regarding their ability to command “legal authority.” 尽管现有文献聚焦于制度对非民主政权稳定的重要性, 却很少关注制度化（institutionalization）和专制合法化（authoritarian legitimation）之间的关系。在检查三项近期文献的过程中, 本文提出了该关系的重要性, 同时分析了中国共产党（Chinese Communist Party, 简称CCP）内部发生的制度变化。基于马克斯·韦伯对合法统治的理性‐法定基础所进行的概念化（conceptualization）, 本文检测了制度化在何种程度上促成了CCP的合法性和持久性。通过调查相关学术研究, 本文最后建议, CCP领导下的制度缺乏韦伯对理性‐法定制度所要求的高度“可计算性”（“calculability”）, 这会给CCP指挥“合法权威”的能力带来质疑。