Physiognomic Features and the Tacit Domain of Political Selection in China

• In Event: Chinese Politics Mini-Conference: New Frontiers and Perspectives on Chinese Politics

Abstract

Political selection is often studied as a conscious and calculated decision based on candidates’ competence and social relations. We argue that it also has an important, yet overlooked, tacit domain that involves subconscious or unconscious processing of certain perceptual traits. Using an original dataset of over 18,879 photos for 5,124 Chinese officials and a novel machine-learning algorithm to measure and quantify facial features, we examine the impact of officials' physiognomic traits on their career advancement and political survival. Our findings suggest that, holding constant officials’ performance and connection, those whose facial features convey an impression of strong leadership skills tend to enjoy a systematic advantage in moving up the administrative hierarchy. We reaffirm this selection pattern with a survey experiment wherein respondents evaluated the rank of simulated official profile pictures. Our findings challenge the rationalist assumption in political selection research by underscoring the diverse criteria and complex cognitive processes involved.

Authors

• Junyan Jiang, Columbia University

• Songpo Yang, Tsinghua University