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Cited by 74Political Conflict and GovernanceChina's Socioeconomic Reforms and GovernanceCrime, Illicit Activities, and Governance

“Thugs-for-Hire”: Subcontracting of State Coercion and State Capacity in China

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Ong, Lynette H.·2018·Perspectives on Politics
DOI 10.1017/s1537592718000981
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Abstract

Using violence or threat of violence, “thugs-for-hire” (TFH) is a form of privatized coercion that helps states subjugate a recalcitrant population. I lay out three scope conditions under which TFH is the preferred strategy: when state actions are illegal or policies are unpopular; when evasion of state responsibility is highly desirable; and when states are weak in their capacity or are less strong than their societies. Weak states relative to strong ones are more likely to deploy TFH, mostly for the purpose of bolstering their coercive capacity; strong states use TFH for evasion of responsibility. Yet the state-TFH relationship is functional only if the state is able to maintain the upper hand over the violent agents. Focusing on China, a seemingly paradoxical case due to its traditional perception of being a strong state, I examine how local states frequently deploy TFH to evict homeowners, enforce the one-child policy, collect exorbitant exactions, and deal with petitioners and protestors. However, the increasing prevalence of “local mafia states” suggests that some of the thuggish groups have grown to usurp local governments’ autonomy. This points to the cost of relying upon TFH as a repressive strategy.

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Crossref · 10.1017/s1537592718000981

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  • Subsequent research has shown the utility of Earl's typology.

    “Subsequent research has shown the utility of this typology.”

    From Physical and virtual repertoires of contention (2022) · cites this paper as [22]

  • Private actors, whom traditional repression research has relatively ignored to its detriment despite some recent rising interest, also have been overtly coercive online.

    “Private actors, whom traditional repression research has relatively ignored to its detriment (40) despite some recent rising interest in the topic (22), also have been overtly coercive online (Table 1, cell 9).”

    From Physical and virtual repertoires of contention (2022) · cites this paper as [22]

  • Subsequent research revealed that some of Earl's distinctions may be more complicated and/or empirically fuzzier than at first glance.

    “It also revealed that some of its distinctions may be more complicated and/or empirically fuzzier than at first glance (22).”

    From Physical and virtual repertoires of contention (2022) · cites this paper as [22]

  • Boundaries between state actors and private actors may be fuzzy, with private actors sometimes acting on their own and sometimes acting in league with or on behalf of regimes.

    “For instance, boundaries between state actors and private actors may be fuzzy, with private actors sometimes acting on their own and sometimes acting in league with or on behalf of regimes.”

    From Physical and virtual repertoires of contention (2022) · cites this paper as [22]

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Authors
Ong, L. H.
Affiliations
University of Toronto (CA)
Corresponding author
Ong, Lynette H.
ORCID
Ong, Lynette H.
Venue
Perspectives on Politics
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2018-04-06
Volume
16
Issue
3
Pages
680-695
ISSN
  • 1537-5927 (ISSN-L)
  • 1541-0986
DOI
10.1017/s1537592718000981
OpenAlex
W2796131283
Cited by
74
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 6
FWCI
22.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified)
Locations
  • Perspectives on Politics (publishedVersion)
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance
Keywords
state capacity, state weakness, local autonomy

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