The Power of "Troublemaking": Protest Tactics and Their Efficacy in China

The nature and efficacy of specific tactics used by Chinese protesters challenge the conventional wisdom that ordinary people in an authoritarian regime must resort to disruption to obtain bargaining power. An expanded view of mediating mechanisms of protest efficacy includes two dimensions: means (disruption/persuasion) and routes (direct leverage/third-party leverage). In addition to resorting to disruption, Crunese protesters frequently employ tactics to activate three nondisruptive mechanisms: persuasion publicity, and elite advocacy. While these "troublemaking" tactics can be easily confused with disruption, they work according to a different logic. The efficacy of a wide variety of tactics in China suggests the interactions of elites and subordinate classes are often more nuanced and reciprocal than disruption theory assumes.