Routledge Studies on China in Transition - Böcker

Under the ethnic affairs management regime established by the People’s Republic of China, every Chinese citizen is classified within one of 56 state-recognised ‘nationalities’. Government policy assumes that these nationalities differ from one another primarily in their levels of economic development, and asserts that ethnic divisions and identities fade with the gradual achievement of economic and social equality. As a result, economic development policy in minority nationality areas has often constituted a replica of the model which has already proven successful in China’s Han-Chinese dominated east. Research conducted across five locations in China’s Northwest paints a far more complex picture, however. This book considers for the first time how identity informs the nature of economic participation among ethnic minority entrepreneurs in China’s remote Northwest. Through interviews with entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, including Tibetan, Han and Muslim Chinese, this book highlights how ethnic—and other—identities inform the nature of economic participation. Furthermore, it explores the broader implications of this de-facto economic segregation for China’s ongoing social harmony and political stability. Ultimately, this book demonstrates how economic participation, even when successful in achieving its economic outcomes, may actually serve to reinforce and strengthen minority national identity—perhaps even at the expense of national Chinese identity.This book will be useful for students and scholars of Chinese Studies, Ethnic Studies and Economics.

HIV and AIDS have long been problematized in the People’s Republic of China as objects of governance in political frameworks and institutions. The state’s attitudes towards health programs have, nevertheless, changed significantly during the 21st century. Pilot programs at the beginning of the century, which focused on underground sex workers, have now developed into the roll-out of a nationwide program, with supportive legislation and broadcast media publicity.This book therefore examines China’s evolving AIDS response, providing an up to date investigation into the positions and practices of the state. It explains the origins, rationales and implementation of initiatives focused on female sex workers and explores the extension of such initiatives to include other populations identified as key to ending the AIDS epidemic, especially homosexual men and rural-to-urban migrant labourers. Ultimately, through an analysis of the different approaches to the governance of commercial sex and sexual health, Governing HIV in China concludes by considering the challenges raised by China’s commitment to the United Nations’ vision of ending AIDS as a global health threat by 2030.This book will be useful for students and scholars of Social Policy, Public Health Policy and Chinese Studies.

Home ownership plays a significant role in locating the middle class in most western societies, associated with market, consumerism, democracy and “people like us”, the significant features of the middle class for any society. In China, private home ownership was not the norm from 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party took power, until the 1990s. In the past three decades, however, there has been a fast growing housing consumption and private homeowners have become the most significantly changing aspect of Chinese urban life. In particular, the rise of gated communities has become a predominant feature of the urban landscape. Similar to their western counterparts, the gated communities in China exemplify “high status” symbols with enclosed and restricted residential areas, exclusive community parks and recreational facilities, and professional management and security services. But different from western societies where gated communities usually represent luxurious lifestyles only limited to a small group of people, in urban China gated communities have become one major form of supply in the housing market and one of the most popular and desirable choices for homebuyers. Private home ownership and residency in gated communities, altogether characterize the most significant aspect of comfort living and distinct lifestyles of China’s new middle classes who have successfully got ahead in the socialist market economy.This book examines the formation of “China’s housing middle class”. It develops a theoretical argument about, and provides empirical evidence of the heterogeneity of China’s new middle class, which underlines the relations between the state, market and life chances under a socialist market economy. As such it will be of huge interest to students and scholars of Chinese society, sociology and politics.

This book explores non-electoral means of public participation in contemporaryChina, both as an outcome of and a key contributor to the party-state’sefforts to improve its governing capacity.Examining consultative meetings, public hearings, and the use of surveysand questionnaires in Zhejiang province, on an empirical level, the studyevaluates the historical development and institutional backgrounds of thesemechanisms, as well as provides a critical assessment of their achievementsand failures. At the same time, on a theoretical level, this book contributesto the broader scholarship on contemporary Chinese politics and politicaldevelopment within one-party regimes, as well as debates about state buildingand democratisation. Relying on the distinction between access to andexercise of power, it concludes that non-electoral public participation is infact a function of state building. Developing a state capable of producingeffective solutions to governing challenges, it is argued, requires public participationin the governing process.With analysis informed by interviews with local-level policy-makers andofficials, academics, and citizens’ representatives and activists, Public Participationand State Building in China will be a valuable research resource forstudents and scholars of Chinese politics, political science, and civil society.

China is currently in the midst of an unprecedented building boom and, indeed, interest in Chinese contemporary architecture has been fuelled by this huge expansion. Through a cutting-edge theoretical discussion of Chinese architecture in relation to Chinese modernity, this book examines this phenomenon in detail. In particular, it highlights how changes in the social-political system, the residual influence of Mao and the demands of the market have each shaped and determined style and form in recent years. Using key case studies of Liu Jiakun, Cui Kai, and URBANUS, it analyses the intricate details of historical pressures and practical strategies affecting Chinese architecture. In doing so, it demonstrates that Chinese architects contribute in specific ways to the international architectural discourse, since they are actively engaging with the complex societal transition of contemporary China and managing the dynamics and conflicts arising during the process.China's Architecture in a Globalizing World: Between Socialism and the Market offers a lens into the innovation and uniqueness of architectural design in China. As such, this book will be useful for students and scholars of architecture, Chinese culture and society and urban studies.

This book provides fresh insights into the study of Chinese elites at the county level and below. By shifting the analytical focus onto the agency of elites at the local level and away from the institutional structures within which they operate, it fills a number of significant gaps in the field.In particular, this book addresses the lacunae through an empirically rich and diverse set of case studies. It proceeds from the premise that the study of local elites can be most fruitful through examining their relations with each other and with the groups that wield power in the community. Particularly pertinent to the analyses are three major relations, namely the relationship between the elites and their environment, between particular types of elites, and between the locality and the upper and lower scales. Ultimately, it concludes that these relations are not only essential to understanding local elites in post-Mao China but also in accounting for socio-political change and in distinguishing China from other types of societies.As a study of local elites in China, this book will be useful to students and scholars of Chinese politics, political sociology and Chinese Studies in general.

Through the lens of the city of Suzhou, this edited volume presents views on the complex interaction between the central state, market agents, local governments and individuals who have shaped the development of Chinese cities and urban life. Featuring a range of disciplinary perspectives, contributors to this volume have all undertaken research in one municipality – Suzhou – to consider how history and culture have evolved during the modernisation of Chinese cities and the transformation of urban space, as well as shifting rural–urban relations and urban life during the reform era. The volume is underscored by a complex dynamic system consisting of three interlocked mechanisms through which the central and local state interact: history and culture, social and economic life, and administration and governance. As such, chapters analyse responses both from the state and society as driving forces of local development, with an interplay between tradition and heritage on the one hand and China’s economic and social development on the other. Suzhou in Transition will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese and urban studies, as well as urban sociology and geography.

As China enters its proclaimed ‘New Era’ under President Xi Jinping, this book examines changes and continuity in social relations and political development, investigating new developments against the backdrop of continuations of long-term trends and previous policies.What has remained outside many scholarly discussions is a larger backdrop of continuity, into which the policies of Xi Jinping’s administration are inserted to further shape social, economic and political trajectories in contemporary China. Presented as a volume of methodologically diverse studies exploring some of the key aspects of social and political development in contemporary China, its authors examine the structural factors that continue to exert influence on China’s trajectory – in the ‘New Era’, as before – at the deeper and subtler levels. This is the first publication of its kind to focus on how continuity and change interplay under Xi; it enables readers to appreciate both genuine novelties and the enduring, long-term trends, as well as to estimate future trends in the proclaimed ‘New Era’ and beyond.Social Relations and Political Development in China will be of significant interest to students and scholars of Chinese studies, political science and sociology.

As China enters its proclaimed ‘New Era’ under President Xi Jinping, this book examines changes and continuity in social relations and political development, investigating new developments against the backdrop of continuations of long-term trends and previous policies.What has remained outside many scholarly discussions is a larger backdrop of continuity, into which the policies of Xi Jinping’s administration are inserted to further shape social, economic and political trajectories in contemporary China. Presented as a volume of methodologically diverse studies exploring some of the key aspects of social and political development in contemporary China, its authors examine the structural factors that continue to exert influence on China’s trajectory – in the ‘New Era’, as before – at the deeper and subtler levels. This is the first publication of its kind to focus on how continuity and change interplay under Xi; it enables readers to appreciate both genuine novelties and the enduring, long-term trends, as well as to estimate future trends in the proclaimed ‘New Era’ and beyond.Social Relations and Political Development in China will be of significant interest to students and scholars of Chinese studies, political science and sociology.

Through the lens of the city of Suzhou, this edited volume presents views on the complex interaction between the central state, market agents, local governments and individuals who have shaped the development of Chinese cities and urban life. Featuring a range of disciplinary perspectives, contributors to this volume have all undertaken research in one municipality – Suzhou – to consider how history and culture have evolved during the modernisation of Chinese cities and the transformation of urban space, as well as shifting rural–urban relations and urban life during the reform era. The volume is underscored by a complex dynamic system consisting of three interlocked mechanisms through which the central and local state interact: history and culture, social and economic life, and administration and governance. As such, chapters analyse responses both from the state and society as driving forces of local development, with an interplay between tradition and heritage on the one hand and China’s economic and social development on the other. Suzhou in Transition will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese and urban studies, as well as urban sociology and geography.

This book offers a balanced assessment of the dynamics and consequences of the decentralization of power and resources in post- Mao China. The author argues that decentralization has increased tensions amongst ethnic groups and unleashed much competition and emulation among local governments. This book is an authoritative study of an issue that will remain highly visible on China's political agenda for the forseeable future.

China's basic work units, collectively known as the danwei system, have undergone significant reform, particularly since 1984. The author examines how this system operates and how reform is generating change in the party at grassroots level.The author demonstrates how China's post-Mao reforms have produced a quiet revolution from below as the process of political and economic liberalization has accelerated. This book presents new research findings that will be invaluable to those wishing to understand the nature of change in China.

This book analyses the industrial reform measures taken by the Chinese government during the decade 1985-95 and identifies the economic and political tensions and contradictions that state enterprise reform has presented to a leadership intent on maintaining its authoritative political position.Using government sources and interviews with economists and workers at one of China's largest state-owned enterprises (The Second Automobile/Dongfeng corporation ), Hannan concludes that the relationship between state policy and enterprise is a complex two-way process characterised by tensions resulting from conflicting priorities.

Jane Duckett describes in detail new state business activities in China and explains why they have appeared. Using research on the northern city of Tianjin during the 1990s, she argues that individual departments, within the Chinese state, are involved in the market economy through the establishment of their own businesses. The book demonstrates that many of these businesses are genuinely entrepreneurial in the sense of profit-seeking, risk-taking and productive, rather than rent-seeking, speculative or profiteering.This entrepreneurialism is an important new dimension of state activity in China with implications for our understanding of the Chinese state. This book develops an alternative to the local government state model and emphasises instead the State's dynamic, entrepreneurial role in the process of economic reform.

This book explores how the experience of modernization is revealed in China's newly constructed tourist landscapes. It argues that in China's burgeoning ethnic tourist villages and theme parks can be seen all the contradictions, debasement, and liberating potentials of Chinese modernity. Tim Oakes uses the province of Guizhou to examine the Chinese tourist industry as an example of the state's modernization policies and how local people have engaged with these changes.

It is often assumed that privatization leads to profit, and that well-delineated property rights and a strong private sector will help boost an economy. This book investigates the property rights in Chinese enterprises in the reform era, finding that distinction between the public and the private are blurred, that national reform policies are implemented unevenly across the country, and that enterprises owned by local governments, in Shanghai, for example, are actually extremely profitable.

This volume, written by contributors from a number of different specialisms, suggests that different combinations of factors have contributed to the relative successes and failures in these cities. Endowment factors, preferential policies, and history have all proved to be important. Most importantly, Cities in Post-Mao China suggests that locally-generated strategies of development are crucial determinants. This ground-breaking volume reveals through close detail and broad coverage how exactly cities have been catalysts for Chinas economic development. It will provide much needed data for those working in the fields of comparative politics, development studies, economic development and Asian studies.

This study systematically examines uneven regional development in China, focusing on three central agents: the foreign investor, the state and the region. Wei's findings have important implications for theories of, and policy towards, Chinese regional development. This book is a vital resource for those with an interest in transition economies.

The spatial patterns of China's rapid economic transformation fundamentally challenge conventional geographies of urban and regional development. This book provides a theoretically informed case study of the local character of regional change in China's lower Yangzi Delta, as well as a new analytical framework for understanding China's unique form of economic modernization.

The legal system of the People's Republic of China has seen significant changes since legal reforms began in 1978. At the end of the second decade of legal reform, law-making and institution-building have reached impressive levels. Understanding the operation and possible futures of law in the People's Republic of China requires an appreciation of the normative influences on the system, as well as an examination of how these norms have worked in practice.

This book relates the stories of four leaders under very different political regimes: Colonial, Nationalist and Communist. The authors compare Chinese notions of respect and inspiration with their equivalents in other religious and political histories of colonial and post-colonial modernity, thereby producing a thorough re-working of the idea of charisma. The result is an intriguing study of the relationship between religious and political authority in a changing world.

Institutional changes in rural China caused by the economic reforms of the post-Mao era have led to a new pattern of state-society interaction in the rural polity. Central to this is the spectacular rise of a group of managerial elites. Contrary to economic predictors, this has been accompanied by the development of an interdependence between these managers and the state. This book provides an analysis of the new state-society relationship and demonstrates the complexity and fluidity involved in institutional development and market transformation.

This challenging study brings together anthropology and political science to examine how ethnic minorities are constructed by the state, and how they respond to such constructions.Disclosing endless mini negotiations between those acting in the name of the Chinese state and those carrying the images of ethnic minority, this book provides an image of the framing of ethnicity by modern state building processes. It will be of vital interest to scholars of political science, anthropology and sociology, and is essential reading to those engaged in studying Chinese society.

China, Sex and Prostitution is a topical and important critique of recent scholarship in China studies concerning sexuality, prostitution and policing. Jeffrey's arguments are constructed in the form of detailed analysis of a wide range of primary texts, including documents, press reports, police report, and policy and legal pronouncements, and secondary literature in both English and Chinese. The work engages with some key debates in the fields of cultural and gender studies and will be welcomed by scholars in these areas as well as by China specialists, sociologists and anthropologists.

Who are the top political leaders in China? What are the major criteria in elite recruitment? How is job promotion in high politics determined? By studying over one and a half thousand top political Chinese leaders, this book seeks to answer these questions and, as a result, defines how Chinese leadership is stratified. Unlike existing research on Chinese leaders, Elite Dualism and Leadership Selection in China draws on extensive statistical information and data analysis. It evidences how political development in the reform era has led to the division of labour between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the government in governance, leading to two distinctive career paths in the two political systems respectively. Key issues examined include:* the different criteria the CCP and the government demand * the requirements for promotion* the effect of university education on the rate of mobility* the different affiliations of the two groups* the role of cooptation in leadership selection.Many of the elites discussed are still leading figures in China, making this book the most up-to-date and extensive biographical data set in elite studies. This allows for a meaningful analysis of elite behaviour in China for the first time in Chinese Studies. This book will be useful to both students of Chinese studies and comparative politics and will also interest researchers, political commentators, statesmen and China-watchers.

In the vast majority of literature on 'Chinese nationalism' the distinction between nation and state is rarely made, consequently nationalism usually appears as loyalty to the state rather than identification with the nation. Yet, since 1989, both the official configuration of the nation and the state's monopolized right to name the nation have come under rigorous challenge. Cultural Nationalism in Contemporary China relocates the discussion of nationalism to within a more contemporary framework which explores the disjunction between the people and the state and the relationship of each to the nation.With its challenging exploration of one of the most neglected aspects of identity in China, this book should appeal to Asianists, China watchers and all of those with an interest in cultural and sociological phenomena in East Asia.

As China's government manages a transition away from the socialist plan, how does it build the regulatory institutions it needs to manage the new market economy? Without the correct institutions, laws and agencies that implement the laws in place, the remarkable growth witnessed in China over the last two decades will falter. Financial sector reform lies at the heart of China's economic transition and China's stock market has become critical to the reform of state-owned industry, the supply of fiscal revenues and in building a modern pension system. The Development of China's Stockmarket takes a close look at the policy-making and regulatory institutions the government has created to manage equity development and shows how, in contrast to neo-institutional and economic theories of regulatory development, public actors have controlled institutional development.Based on extensive field research in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing and over forty interviews with regulators and market players, The Development of China's Stockmarket provides the first detailed academic analysis of the country's stockmarket. With a comprehensive review of Chinese language literature available on the subject, this book is essential reading for all scholars with an interest in Asian Business and China's transition from socialism.

This edited volume describes the intellectual world that developed in China in the last decade of the twentieth century. How, as China's economy changed from a centrally planned to a market one, and as China opened up to the outside world and was influenced by the outside world, Chinese intellectual activity became more wide-ranging, more independent, more professionalized and more commercially oriented than ever before. The future impact of this activity on Chinese civil society is discussed in the last chapter.

China's Scientific Elite is a study of those scientists holding China's highest academic honour - membership of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Having carried out extensive systematic data collection of CAS members Cao examines the social stratification system of the Chinese science community and the way in which politics and political interference has effected the stratification. The book then goes on to compare the Chinese system to the stratification of the US scientific elite. The conclusions are fascinating, not least because one national elite resides in a democratic liberal social system, and the other in an authoritarian social system.