Urbanization and Party Survival in China

Reviews / Votes

This collection of 15 articles brings a range of social scientific methods to bear on phenomena shaping contemporary Chinese cities, including the impact of foreign investment, migrant workers' experiences, the socioeconomic status of the elderly, real estate speculation, urban Catholic churches, reasons for women's use of crisis services, air pollution, heritage preservation, ghost cities, urban governance and rule of law, healthcare, and pension reform, among others. One unifying thread is the background of the authors, almost all of whom are natives of China who received their graduate training in the US. The tightly focused chapters tend to cite Chinese language scholarship and sources more than publications in English, so the collection can serve as an introduction to Chinese academic literature on the topics addressed. The editors have contributed an introduction and conclusion that point out common themes.... Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. * Choice Reviews * This impressive volume provides a rare and, in many ways, an inside look at the impact of urbanization on the relationship between the Party and the people it governs. Going well beyond standard documentary research by using a mixed methodological approach, including personal interviews, ethnographic field research, and the analysis of official government and court documents, the contributors highlight such serious problems as the growing inequality and offer a sophisticated assessment, raising and responding to many of the key questions China will have to address as the Party seeks to balance competing interests while enhancing legitimacy in its ongoing program of reform. -- Stanley Rosen, University of Southern California The editors have put together a superb collection of essays that deal with some of the most important issues on the subject. This book is useful not only for scholars, but also for policymakers and students of China. -- Shiping Hua, University of Louisville Americans believe that markets, economic growth, and urbanization will lead to the growth of a middle class and hence to democracy. This has not happened in China. The contributors to Urbanization and Party Survival in China: People vs. Power draw on their deep knowledge and connections in China to show how the Chinese Communist Party has been able to allow well-connected individuals to become immensely wealthy while continuing to use the legal system as a tool to maintain a single-party dictatorship. While exposing the Party-business nexus of wealth and power, these essays also show us how the logic of China's economic growth and urbanization, while benefiting some, have also caused deep suffering for others, including a growing population of urban poor. -- Harold M. Tanner, University of North Texas This indispensable collection examines urbanization from nearly every conceivable perspective. The scholars who have written well-researched interdisciplinary chapters are all of Chinese origin. For years, they have immersed themselves in the cities about which they write. They conclusively show that urbanization has not yet led China in the direction of democratization or human rights reforms. For students of China's expanding growth and power in the world, this book is essential reading. -- Wynn Gadkar-Wilcox, Western Connecticut State University