Focusing on the conflict and coordination between social development and political order in social governance, this book investigates the causes, evolution, and manifestations of such tensions in contemporary China, combining both qualitative and quantitative analysis. It has always been a complicated issue for social governance in China to maintain a balanced and benign interaction between social development and political order: Strong leadership from the state can foster robust social development, which can itself pose challenges to the existing political order. To approach this paradox, this book first discusses the entanglement of law and politics in China’s social governance, embodied by state legitimacy of the state and its governance. It then examines institutional changes through analyzing the relationship between market mechanisms and planned systems, as well as the petitioning system, a unique political setup in China. By examining arbitrariness in the practice of Mao Zedong’s theory on two types of contradictions, the author uncovers the characteristics and political basis of China’s approach to resolving social conflict. This title is essential reading for scholars and students studying sociology and political science, especially those interested in social governance in China and contemporary Chinese politics. Shizheng Feng is Professor and Dean of the School of Sociology and Population Studies at Renmin University of China. His research areas include political sociology, historical sociology, social governance and state-making, and political order in China’s social transformation.

"Focusing on the conflict and coordination between social development and political order in social governance, this book investigates the causes, evolution and manifestations of such tensions in contemporary China, combining both qualitative and quantitative analysis. It has always been a complicated issue for social governance in China to maintain a balanced and benign interaction between social development and political order: strong leadership from the state can foster robust social development, which can itself pose challenges to the existing political order. To approach this paradox, the book first discusses the entanglement of law and politics in China's social governance, embodied by state legitimacy of the state and its governance. It then examines institutional changes through analyzing the relationship between market mechanisms and planned systems, as well as the petitioning system, a unique political setup in China. By examining arbitrariness in the practice of Mao Zedong's theory on two types of contradictions, the author uncovers the characteristics and political basis of China's approach to resolving social conflict. The title is essential reading for scholars and students studying sociology and political science, especially those interested in social governance in China and contemporary Chinese politics"--

This book is the third study done by the Research Group on Social Structure Change in Contemporary China, a group affiliated with the Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The group has focused on the process of development and change in contemporary Chinese social structure and come to the following conclusions.Contemporary China is transitioning from a traditional agricultural and rural society to a modern industrialized and urban society; from a highly centralized planned economy to a robust socialist market economic system. The entire society is undertaking an unprecedented evolution. During the three decades of reform and opening up, China has made brilliant achievements, never seen before in history. Now, China is in a critical period of reform and opening up, with very complex, far-reaching and closely intertwined social problems, which are also unprecedented.After deep and detailed analysis the Research Group believes that these problems cannot be resolved only by economic methods. In order to get to the roots of these social problems, China must develop new social policies, strengthen the social structure and carry out social system reform. The core purpose of the book is to recommend theories and methods on social structure to society and readers, and to investigate the development and change in China's social structure. We believe that social structure theory, a brand-new point of view to analyze the current situation, is capable of deciphering the social contradictions in China's development to some extent, as opposed to mere economic theory, which is inadequate to fully address the structural problems in China.

With a large and growing economy and a leadership dedicated both to domestic reform and the further integration into international society and the world economy, China is facing and posing important challenges at the local, national, regional and wider international level. This book analyses the developmental trajectories of China up to and into the new millennium. Focusing on the substance and underlying forces of change, it considers issues and developments in monetary policy, foreign exchange policy, the trade regime, state-owned enterprise reform, regional economic development as well as social changes, particularly those related to social welfare reform and the Internet. The book also covers economic and political developments in 'Greater China', particularly the prospects of reunification after Taiwan's presidential elections, and analyses the core issues and challenges in China's contemporary relations with the USA, Japan, South-East Asia and Europe.

The Chinese government is one of the most important actors in international affairs today. To thoroughly understand how the People’s Republic of China has grown in power requires a careful analysis of its political system. To what extent can China’s economic achievements be attributed to the country’s political system and its policies? What are the effects of economic modernization and global economic integration on the Chinese polity? Is the Chinese political system capable of adapting to changing economic, technological, social, and international conditions? Exploring these central questions, this definitive book provides readers with a comprehensive assessment of the preconditions, prospects, and risks associated with China’s political development.

China's economic transformation has brought with it much social dislocation, which in turn has led to much social protest. This book presents a comprehensive analysis of the large-scale mass incidents which have taken place in the last decade. The book analyses these incidents systematically, discussing their nature, causes and outcomes. It shows the wide range of protests – tax riots, land and labour disputes, disputes within companies, including private and foreign companies, environmental protests and ethnic clashes – and shows how the nature of protests has changed over time. The book argues that the protests have been prompted by the socioeconomic transformations of the last decade, which have dislocated many individuals and groups, whilst also giving society increased autonomy and social freedom, enabling many people to become more vocal and active in their confrontations with the state. It suggests that many protests are related to corruption, that is failures by officials to adhere to the high standards which should be expected from benevolent government; it demonstrates how the Chinese state, far from being rigid, bureaucratic and authoritarian, is often sensitive and flexible in its response to protest, frequently addressing grievances and learning from its own mistakes; and it shows how the multilevel responsibility structure of the Chinese regime has enabled the central government to absorb the shock waves of social protest and continue to enjoy legitimacy.

This book analyses credit crisis issues in China from the aspect of individuals, enterprises, and government through investigations of six Chinese urban and rural areas. After China’s reform and opening up in the 1970s, a slew of new problems involving integrity, trust, and credit appeared with the establishment of a market economy and the creation of new business opportunities. To track these phenomena down to their very origins and to explore the theoretical principles underlying them through a truly holistic sociology, this book highlights a native Chinese perspective when dissecting and analysing the characteristics of their origins, mechanisms, and manifestations. The book will be of great interest to students and scholars of economic sociology, Chinese studies, and those who are interested in the sociology of credibility in general.

This book includes collective research by the Institute of Political Science of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which is an important research institution of political science and a think-tank in China. The book was completed by the expert team of "China's Political System" headed by Director Fang Ning for several years and after several changes in their manuscripts. This book covers the core political systems of China, such as the leadership system of the Communist Party of China, the decision-making system of the Party and government in Chinese politics, the system of the people's congress, the relationship between the central and local authorities, the system of officials training and selection, the system of discipline inspection and supervision, the system of consultative democracy and the system of community-level self-governance, etc. This book aims to build a new paradigm of empirical research and introduction of the contemporary Chinese political system by using the description and research method of materialization and dynamics of the political system.

This book explores the overall landscape of compulsory education policy development in China from multiple perspectives to uncover the stages, features, problems and suggestions in Chinese compulsory education system, locally, nationally and internationally. In addition, this book also presents specific historical educational policy shifts for policymakers and stakeholders to investigate the compulsory education strategy over the long term. Specifically, the Chinese compulsory education policy landscape involves investigating changes to the legal environment, management policies, as well as practices for teachers and curriculum and teaching materials. These discussions contribute to the readers’ comprehensive and systematic understanding of compulsory education policy development in contemporary China.

This book examines the relationship between law and China's economic and human development. It explores the development of the Chinese legal system both from China's historical perspective considering the specific political and socioeconomic factors that are shaping Chinese law and from a comparative perspective, exploring the interaction between China and the rest of the world. It considers the both the linkages between the formal law and China's economic development, and issues of law, human rights, and social justice as they relate to economic and human development.