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  3. China's Governance Puzzle
  • Cited by 72
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
March 2017
Print publication year:
2017
Online ISBN:
9781316388501
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316388501
Subjects:
Area Studies, Asian Studies, East Asian Government, Politics and Policy, Politics and International Relations, Comparative Politics
Information

Book description

China is widely viewed as a global powerhouse that has achieved a remarkable economic transformation with little political change. Less well known is that China's leaders have also implemented far‐reaching governance reforms designed to promote government transparency and increase public participation in official policymaking. What are the motivations behind these reforms and, more importantly, what impact are they having? This puzzle lies at the heart of Chinese politics and could dictate China's political trajectory for years to come. This extensive collaborative study not only documents the origins and scope of these reforms across China, but offers the first systematic assessment by quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing the impact of participation and transparency on important governance outcomes. Comparing across provinces and over time, the authors argue that the reforms are resulting in lower corruption and enhanced legal compliance, but these outcomes also depend on a broader societal ecosystem that includes an active media and robust civil society.

Reviews

'This illuminating volume changes the way you think about the role of information in China. The authors make a powerful case that, even amid tight political control, transparency is altering China’s government, with deep implications for the economic and political future.'

Evan Osnos - National Book Award-winning author of Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China

'In this thoughtful and well-documented work, the authors challenge conventional wisdom about the absence of political reform in China. Through fascinating case studies, they demonstrate the diversity of reform practices in China and identify areas of success and failure.'

J. Stapleton Roy - former US ambassador to China

'This is a highly rigorous yet very readable study of how authoritarian governance in China works and does not work to achieve policy objectives and maintain domestic stability. The authors bring to bear a rare combination of practical on-the-ground experience and formal academic training to analyze one of the Chinese Communist Party’s greatest dilemmas: how to improve governance and bolster state legitimacy by allowing popular opinions to be heard in the policy process without ever hinting that the broad public will or should gain direct control over who governs or how.'

Thomas Christensen - Princeton University, New Jersey and author of The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power

'This book provides excellent empirical strategies to scholars, students and policymakers interested in the successes and failures of Chinese governance reforms and policy innovations. As the authors demonstrate, Chinese policymakers are increasingly adopting better governance practices to stave off political threats. Moreover, these reforms are not just window-dressing; they have changed the way laws are enacted and compliance is at least partly achieved.'

Mary E. Gallagher - Director of the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan

‘The authors skillfully blend the latest statistics on corruption with illuminating case studies to argue that enlisting the Chinese public to monitor the bureaucracy would yield better results than continuing the current heavy-handed crackdown that targets corrupt individuals one at a time.’

Yuen Yuen Ang Source: Foreign Affairs

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Contents

Contents
  • 1 - China’s Approach to Governance Reform
    pp 1-25
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