In any society the number of potential public issues almost always exceeds the capabilities of the government to process them. Issues thus must compete for a place on the decision-making agenda. While it is certainly a dimension of power to influence the decision-making process per se, it is perhaps even more important to have a say in setting the agenda. This article proposes a typology of six agenda-setting models and discusses how those models have evolved in contemporary China. It argues that only by grasping a subtle yet significant transformation of agenda-setting models can one fully appreciate the extent to which China’s political system has changed.

Changing Models of China’s Policy Agenda Setting