China's Economic Development and Democratization (The Chinese Economy Series)

This work examines China's transformation from an institutional perspective. It proposes an analytical framework comprising six macro institutional environments: international, ideological, political, economic, constitutional, and civil-social to analyze the Chinese transition. Through an institutional analysis of the ruling elite's policy institutionalization, it tries to answer three main questions: Will China's economic reforms lead to a meaningful political reform? Will economic freedom lead to political freedom? Will economic development lead to political democratization? The major findings from the institutional analysis of the dynamic interactions between political actors and institutions suggest that China is moving closer, on the continuum of regime change, towards democracy. Students and scholars who are studying or conducting researches on the Chinese economy, society, or politics will find this book of particular interest.