Comparative Index Analysis of the Stability of the Political System (On the Example of China and Turkey)
EDN: WLVCVM
Abstract
In the context of the search for models of political stability in illiberal contexts, we conduct a comparative analysis of the sources of stability of the political systems of China and Turkey. The aim of the work is to identify and compare the institutional, ideological and social mechanisms that ensure their resilience to internal and external challenges. The scientific novelty lies in the application of a single analytical model with a quantitative assessment (stability scores) to two different types of authoritarian systems: institutional-ideocratic (PRC) and personalist-populist (Turkey), which allows a systematic comparison of their adaptation strategies. The methodology is based on comparative analysis with the synthesis of data from academic publications, official documents and opinion polls for the period 2020–2025. The main results show that the stability of China is based on the centralized institutions of the Chinese Communist Party, ideological synthesis, economic efficiency and suppression of the opposition, while the stability of Turkey is ensured by the concentration of power, tactical flexibility of the elites, appeal to conservative values and control over the security apparatus, but is subject to risks due to economic problems and social polarization. The limitation of the study is its retrospective and analytical nature, which does not allow empirical verification of cause-and-effect relationships.
About the Authors
O. B. NamazovRussian Federation
Orhan B. Namazov - Lecturer of the Department of Social Technologies.
St. Petersburg
S. A. Kulesh
Russian Federation
Semyon A. Kulesh - Lecturer of the Department of Social Technologies, North-West Institute of Management.
St. Petersburg
References
1. Bilyuga S. E. Political stability: basic approaches to the analysis of the stability of political systems // Age of Globalization [Vek globalizacii]. 2018. N 2. P. 46–56. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.30884/vglob/2018.02.04
2. Bobylev M. B., Kovaleva E. V. The concept of “political stability” in Western and domestic political discourse of the last decade // Abyss (Issues of philosophy, Political science and social anthropology) [Abyss (Voprosy filosofii, politologii i social’noj antropologii)]. 2021. N 4. P. 89–101. (In Russ.). EDN ZSHZIM
3. Gadzhiev H. A., Semchenkov A. S. Index of stability of the political system: measurement experience in three countries // PolitBook. 2020. N 1. P. 161–194. (In Russ.) EDN ZFSAIY
4. Gadzhiev H. A., Semchenkov A. S. Stability of the political system of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Index analysis) // Politics: An analysis. The chronicle. Prognosis (Journal of Political Philosophy and Sociology of Politics) [Politiya: Analiz. Hronika. Prognoz (Zhurnal politicheskoj filosofii i sociologii politiki)]. 2021. N 4. P. 115–144. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2021-103-4-115-144
5. Political Science. A new vocabulary / Edited by A. I. Solovyov. Moscow: Aspekt Press, 2023. 432 p. ISBN 978-5-7567-1279-7. (In Russ.).
6. Reshetnikova D. A. The Tianxia system and the modern policy of sustainable development of the People’s Republic of China // Sustainable development: facing global challenges: Proceedings of the conference, St. Petersburg, May 25–27, 2023. Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg State University of Economics, 2023. P. 268–274. (In Russ.).
7. Barbalet J. Conceptualising informal institutions: Drawing on the case of guanxi // British Journal of Sociology. 2022. Vol. 74. P. 71–83. DOI: 10.1111/1468-4446.12984
8. Cai Y., Hajikanov N., Kaspereit T. Local party committee and labor cost asymmetry // Journal of Management Control. 2024. Vol. 35 (378). P. 371–403. DOI: 10.1007/s00187-024-00380-7
9. Cengiz F. Ç Proliferation of neopatrimonial domination in Turkey // British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 2018. DOI: 10.1080/13530194.2018.1509693
10. Huhe N., Chen J., Chen Y. Flies, tigers, and the leviathan: anti-corruption campaigns and popular political support in China // Japanese Journal of Political Science. 2022. Vol. 23. P. 193–208. DOI: 10.1017/s146810992200010x.
11. Irgil E., Norman K. P. Assessing the domestic political impacts of Turkey’s refugee commodification // Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 2024. Vol. 50 (16). P. 3855–3871. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2024.2332747
12. Jiang J., Zeng Y. Countering Capture: Elite Networks and Government Responsiveness in China’s Land Market Reform // Forthcoming, Journal of Politics. 2018. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3300650
13. ., . Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic under Right-wing Populist Rule: Turkey in the First Phase // South European Society and Politics. 2021. P. 1–30. DOI: 10.1080/13608746.2021.1985497
14. Lu J., Dickson B. Revisiting the Eastonian Framework on Political Support: Assessing Different Measures of Regime Support in Mainland China // Comparative Politics. 2020. Vol. 52. P. 671–701. DOI: 10.5129/001041520x15810803375925
15. Lu S., Wang H. Central Authority, Local Elite Group and the Pace of Land Market Reform in China // SSRN Electronic Journal. 2019. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3488213
16. Mao Y. Political institutions, state capacity, and crisis management: A comparison of China and South Korea // International Political Science Review. 2021. Vol. 42 (3). P. 316–332. DOI: 10.1177/0192512121994026
17. Mardin . Center-Periphery Relations: A Key to Turkish Politics? // Daedalus. 1973. N 1. P. 169–190.
18. Masafumi I. Xi Jinping’s diplomacy and the rise of his political authority // Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies. 2020. Vol. 9. P. 127–143. DOI: 10.1080/24761028.2020.1843217
19. Qiu T., Li Y. et al. Alternative modes of governance: Clans and social instability in rural China // China Economic Review. 2024. Vol. 84. DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2024.102136
20. Rosen A. Political Reasons and the Limits of Political Authority // Legal Theory. 2023. Vol. 29. P. 63–88. DOI: 10.1017/s1352325223000022
21. Shichor Y. Handling China’s Internal Security: Division of Labor among Armed Forces in Xinjiang // Journal of Contemporary China. 2019. Vol. 28. P. 813–830. DOI: 10.1080/10670564.2019.1580426
22. Song Y., Chen B. Are the Defense Policy and Military Expenditure in China Economically or Politically Driven? // Journal of Chinese Political Science. 2024. DOI: 10.1007/s11366-02409884-4
23. P., Matejova M., Jusko J., Voda P. Shaky ground, shaky politics? Effects of 2023 earthquakes on political survival // Environmental Hazards. 2024. Vol. 1–21. P. 14–17. DOI: 10.1080/17477891.2024.2442446
24. Takeuchi H., Desai S. Chinese politics and comparative authoritarianism: institutionalization and adaptation for regime resilience // Japanese Journal of Political Science. 2021. Vol. 22. P. 1–12. DOI: 10.1017/S1468109921000268
25. Tian X., Sarkis J. et al. Greening the Belt and Road Initiative: Evidence from emergy evaluation of China’s provincial trade with ASEAN countries // Fundamental Research. Vol. 4. 2022. P. 379–393. DOI: 10.1016/j.fmre.2022.11.007
26. Yilmaz I. Authoritarianism, Informal Law, and Legal Hybridity: The Islamisation of the State in Turkey. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. 258 p.
27. Yilmaz I. Islamist Parties and Power in Democratic Nation-States. A Comparative Analysis of Six Muslim-Majority Countries. Singapore, 2024. 302 p.
28. Zhang B., Zhou W. An empirical study of “public security centralism” in modern China and its legal and political ramifications // International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice. 2024. Vol. 76. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlcj.2023.100648
29. Zhao M., Ma L., Chan H. S. The Illusion of Merit in Political Leadership Selection in China // The China Quarterly. 2023. P. 38–58. DOI: 10.1017/s0305741023000802
30. Esen B., ., Yavuzyılmaz H. Turkey’s New Regime. Competitive Authoritarianism. Istanbul: Yayınları, 2023. 288 p. ISBN 9789750539091. (In Turk.).
31. Yıldız M. The Political Anatomy of Turkish Society in the Context of World Values Research // Journal of Society аnd Identity [Toplum Ve Kimlik Dergisi.] 2025. Vol. 1. P. 132–146. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14789876. (In Turk.).
Review
For citations:
Namazov O.B., Kulesh S.A. Comparative Index Analysis of the Stability of the Political System (On the Example of China and Turkey). Administrative Consulting. 2026;(2):228-238. (In Russ.) EDN: WLVCVM
JATS XML


































