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1.2China as a “gigantic outlier” vis-à-vis the United States.
2.9All rich countries are low in speed money but not in access money.
3.1Banner in Shenzhen, showing Deng Xiaoping and the words “Stick firmly to the Party’s fundamental path for 100 years.”
3.2President Bill Clinton listens as Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji makes a statement on the South Lawn of the White House in 1999.
3.3Land proceeds financed an infrastructure boom in the 2000s, including high-speed rail, as seen here in Hangzhou.
3.4Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders. On the far right is Wang Qishan.
3.6Corruption with exchange exploded but corruption with theft shrank.
3.7Bribery rose while embezzlement and misuse of funds declined.
3.9Comparison of bribery and embezzlement trends by monetary value.
3.10Comparison of bribery and embezzlement by rank of officials involved.
3.11Media mentions of transactional corruption, by year and term, 1988–2012.
3.12Media mentions of non-transactional corruption, by year and term, 1988–2012.
4.1Zouping, one of the 136 counties in Shandong province where I did research.
4.3Fringe compensation varied far more widely than formal wages.
4.6Increasing agency collections was more rewarding in the short term.
4.7Expanding the tax base was more rewarding in the long term.
5.3Bo Xilai is surrounded by reporters when arriving at the 11th National People’s Congress in Beijing in 2010.
5.4Chongqing’s economy surpassed the national average under Bo.
5.5During Bo’s tenure, Chongqing saw a rapid construction boom.
5.6Chongqing’s economic boom was heavily driven by investment.
5.8In this screenshot, Ji Jianye stands trial at a court for taking bribes.
5.9Ji Jianye strategically branded Yangzhou as a blend of ancient city and modern civilization.
6.1An anti-corruption exhibition in Zhejiang, featuring videos of Xi Jinping, artwork, and posters.
6.2Poster on the “eight-point regulations,” including restrictions against gambling, Internet surfing, banqueting, and drinking at work.
6.3Wave-like hazard rate of fall among city Party secretaries.
6.4Effects of patron’s fall on city leaders’ likelihood of fall.
6.6Screenshot from the website of the Chinese central government, warning against “lazy governance.”
7.1Comparing corruption in China’s and America’s Gilded Ages.
A1.1Updated replication of the WSJ’s scatterplot on corruption and growth rate.
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