The Enduring Challenges for Collective Lobbying: The Case of China's Elite Universities

During four decades of economic reforms, research universities have become China's new national symbol of intellectual prowess. The government has been strategizing and pouring in resources to strengthen their global competitiveness. Despite expanded opportunities, universities have continued to operate within the confines of a tight regulatory regime. Based on interviews with university leaders and executives, this article focuses on China's first-of-its-kind university advocacy coalition known as C9 and investigates how the leading Chinese research universities align their interests and act collectively vis-a-vis the central state to influence policies of crucial importance to their operations. It sheds light on how collective lobbying works in the university sector and on its limitations in the Chinese political context and examines the key factors that shape the interactions among universities, the outcomes of collective lobbying, and the political implications.