Acknowledgments

This book originated in my PhD research at Cornell University, where I had the privilege of working with four superlative scholars as my committee members: Peter Katzenstein, Andrew Mertha, Nicolas van de Walle, and Li-an Zhou. Peter Katzenstein urged me to read widely across disciplines, inspired creative thinking, and provided an unparalleled example of how to be a scholar, mentor, and teacher. Andrew Mertha encouraged me to delve into the weeds of Chinese politics and face fieldwork challenges with perseverance and humor. Nicolas van de Walle provided an invaluable comparative perspective throughout the project’s development. Li-an Zhou shared his deep insights into China’s political economy and generously hosted me several times as a visiting researcher at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management in Beijing.

Many others at Cornell were also instrumental to this study. Conversations with and the work of Allen Carlson, Xu Xin, Jeremy Wallace, and Jessica Chen Weiss deepened my knowledge of Chinese politics. Jonathan Kirshner challenged me to think unconventionally and shared writing advice. David Patel taught me how to conduct field research. Muna Ndulo shared his expertise in international investment and how to leverage scholarship for real-world impact. Henry Wan inspired me with his passion for research on industrial policy and East Asia’s economic transformation. I gained new ways of thinking about institutions from Victor Nee. I also learned from classmates at Cornell who studied China, including Christopher Cairns, Amanda Cheney, Jack Meng-Tat Chia, Manfred Elfstrom, Matthew Erie, Lin Fu, Lauren Hansen, Isaac Kardon, Peter Lavelle, Ningzi Li, Elizabeth Plantan, Lesley Turnbull, Youyi Zhang, and Taomo Zhou. Sarah Maxey and Catherine Reyes-Housholder sustained the project from the start with their friendship. Toby Goldbach provided years of crucial solidarity, laughter, and writing company.

Numerous researchers generously assisted my research in China and beyond. They include Chen Qi, Chen Zhiwu, Fan Shitao, Gary Hua, Jia Qingguo, Li Wei, Tao Ran, Wang Haibin, Wu Jinglian, Wu Yongping, Xu Jin, Ye Jing, Zhang Chunlin, and Zhou Jingxin. The employees at the state-owned enterprise (SOE) in Beijing where I conducted research explained its organizational structure and operations, shared their experiences and knowledge, and provided companionship over many lunches in the cafeteria. I also thank Beth Bader for giving me a space to work at the University of Chicago Center in Beijing. During a research stay in Hong Kong at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, I benefited from the help of Gao Xin and Celia Wong at the University Services Centre, as well as from conversations with Li Chen and Leslie Zeng. Jack Kai Yui Wong assisted me to collect additional materials at the Centre. Ja Ian Chong, Bert Hofman, and James Tan welcomed me to the National University of Singapore and enabled me to access research materials at its East Asian Institute. Fiifi Bright made my fieldwork visits in Ghana both productive and fun.

A predoctoral fellowship with the Brookings Institution supported research in Beijing and Washington, DC. At the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy, Li Yuan, Wang Mengni, Zhou Xuelian, and Zhu Mengye gave me a source of daily community in Beijing. In DC, I learned immensely from colleagues at the John L. Thornton China Center, especially David Dollar, Cheng Li, Kenneth Lieberthal, and Jonathan Pollack. Ryan McElveen, Vincent Wang, Wang Wei, Lucy Xu, and Zhai Xinhui welcomed me to Brookings and DC. Benjamin Wittes gave me wise writing and career advice. Several China experts kindly offered feedback on my research in progress in DC, including Pieter Bottelier, Donald Clarke, Erica Downs, Scott Kennedy, Nicholas Lardy, Philippe LeCorre, and Richard McGregor.

Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and Harvard University enabled me to revise and improve this book. Avery Goldstein and Jacques de Lisle gave me the privilege of joining the close-knit community of Penn’s Center for the Study of Contemporary China. Roselyn Hsueh, Yeling Tan, Michael Useem, and Lu Zhang provided invaluable feedback at my book workshop. I learned from and was helped by many at Penn, including Regina Abrami, Hanming Fang, Amy Gadsden, Yue Hou, Denise van der Kamp, Siyao Li, Neysun Mahboubi, Marshall Meyer, Seung-Youn Oh, Zoe (Zhe) Qiao, Scott Wingo, Guobin Yang, Zeng Yu, and Yuanyuan Zeng. The Columbia-Harvard China and the World Program community offered new perspectives and insight. I especially thank Thomas Christensen, Andrew Chubb, Takako Hikotani, Iain Johnston, Tyler Jost, Benjamin Liebman, Lien-Hang Nguyen, and Daniel Suchenski. The Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University and the Fung Library became a second home. I am very grateful to Bill Alford, Christopher Carrothers, James Evans, Joseph Fewsmith, Josh Freedman, Julian Gewirtz, Arunabh Ghosh, Nancy Hearst, William Kirby, Daniel Koss, Meg Rithmire, Kyle Shernuk, Austin Strange, Katharin Tai, Yeling Tan, Kibrom Teweldebirhan, Ezra Vogel, Yuhua Wang, Saul Wilson, Mark Wu, and Xu Liang. Fan Shitao and He Wenkai gave tremendously helpful comments and advice during my first visit to the Fairbank Center.

I learned from many scholars of China while writing this book. I thank William Joseph for sparking and supporting my interest in Chinese politics. Barry Naughton has long been my role model for research on China’s political economy. Kristen Looney generously shared advice and expertise in Chinese politics over many years. Samantha Vortherms was an amazing source of support and insight throughout the entire research and writing process. Abigail Coplin introduced me to new readings and ideas and helped make academic work more fun. Yufan Huang provided invaluable research assistance and input. I have also learned greatly from and been helped during this project by many researchers, including Kasper Ingeman Beck, Deborah Brautigam, Kjeld Erik Brødsgaard, Alvin Camba, Chelsea Chia-Chen Chou, Michael Davidson, Dominic DeSapio, Matthew Ferchen, Xue Gong, Nis Grünberg, Peng Hai, Koji Hirata, Kyle Jaros, Franziska Keller, Pierre Landry, Ching-Kwan Lee, Li-wen Lin, Chih-shian Liou, Melanie Manion, Curtis Milhaupt, Kacie Miura, Aldo Musacchio, Sara Newland, Tami Groswald Ozery, Margaret Pearson, Daniel Rosen, Dorothy Solinger, Joseph Torigian, Yuan Wang, and Stella Hong Zhang. I especially thank my current and former colleagues at Indiana University who work on China and East Asia and who supported this study: Hannah Airriess, Gardner Bovingdon, Yea-fen Chen, Hilary Holbrow, Adam Liff, Ethan Michelson, Shawn Reynolds, Jason Wu, Nick Vogt, John Yasuda, and Steven Yin.

Many people helped bring this book to press. Aseem Prakash and John Haslam at Cambridge University Press offered editorial advice and expertly guided the book throughout the review process. Roger Haydon at Cornell University Press offered very helpful advice on an early iteration of the manuscript. Anonymous reviewers gave critical suggestions that significantly improved its content and quality. Fan Shitao, Toby Goldbach, Lauren Hansen, Nancy Hearst, Ethan Michelson, Joseph Torigian, Michael Useem, Samantha Vortherms, Andrew Walder, and others provided insightful written comments on various chapters. James Conran shared valuable suggestions on manuscript submission. Nancy Hearst skillfully copyedited the manuscript and references and enriched the project from its inception with her expertise and kindness. All remaining mistakes and typos are my own.

Multiple institutions and programs generously supported research and writing for this book. I thank the China-Africa Research Initiative of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced and International Studies, the Chinese Scholarship Council, Columbia University, Cornell University, the Ford Foundation U.S.-China Exchange Fellowship Program, the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program of the United States Department of Education, Harvard University, Indiana University, the Institute for Humane Studies, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the University of Pennsylvania.

A wonderful group of people who I met in Beijing provided community and friendship, including Dai Shuping, Dong Zhixiong, Hao Qing, Mrs. Jiang, Mr. Jin and Mrs. Xia, Shang Yan, Tie Jiao, Wang Yang, Xia Dawei and Zhou Shanshan, and Xu Zhi and Wang Lin. Classmates from Tsinghua University, especially Cui Zhinan and Tang Tingting, provided fun and camaraderie during get-togethers in Beijing. Classmates and others from my time at the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies became lifelong friends, including Joel Backaler, Sarah Eaton, Heather Hausladen, Andrew Herron, Peter Lavelle, Michael Martina, Brendan Mrosak and Gizelle Chavez, Claire Nelson, Evan Randall and G. P. Ooi, Peter Swartz, Lesley Turnbull, Shannon van Sant, Nicholas Wagner, Rhonda Wagner, Graham Webster, Gabriel Wildau, and Yuan Jing and Christina Yuan.

I relied on the kindness and hospitality of many friends around the world during this decade-long endeavor. I thank especially Anna Azaryeva and Rudy Valente, Cassie and Dan Barone, Evan and Brittany Barr, Ariel Diamond, Brinley and Jeff Esposito, Ursula Jessee and Alex Papo, Daniel Lambauer, Nhu Le, Sarah Ledbetter, Jessica Lipski, Sam Lockhart and Becky Depalma, Mike Razzano and Chantal Berot, Meredith Riley, Phil and Colleen Sandick, Dorie Withey and Justin Perricone, and Alexandra Yannias-Walker.

My family is the foundation of my work and all that I do. My grandmother, Margrit Leutert, inspired me with her independent and international life. My parents, Werner and Christine Leutert, and my sisters, Pamela Lazarto and Stephanie Leutert, and their families supported my study of China even when it meant many years abroad. My son, Kai Guo Leutert, brought new joy to the final stages of the project. I could not have completed it without my husband, Yingtao Guo. I dedicate this book to him.