Political Economy and Governance

View of Pudong business district with a transparent Chinese flag superimposed.

Political Economy and Governance

Understanding the interaction of politics, economy and society in China.

Overview

The appearance of a strong, monolithic Chinese state belies considerable variation in economic, cultural, and governance practice across localities, i.e., administrative jurisdictions and regions. These variations create tensions in uneven development that may exert significant impacts on political processes and regime stability, and are also sources of innovation and institutional changes. The political economy of locality sheds light on the sub-national dynamics in local governance, civil society, and the role of local bureaucratic networks and social institutions in economic development. To understand how the Chinese economy functions and evolves, we need to understand how the political economy, in general, and the political economy of locality – the interaction of politics, economy and society – works across localities, how government policies are implemented and derailed at local levels, how local initiatives take place or are suppressed, and how local bureaucrats and citizens respond to top-down mobilization. Our research is organized around two sets of activities: a.) the collection and analysis of micro-level data to systematically examine variations across localities at the intersection of politics and economy; b.) collaboration with local researchers to gain insights into behavioral patterns in local response to government policies and initiatives.

Journal Articles

Children’s Social Welfare in China, 1989–1997: Access to Health Insurance and Education

Access to Health Insurance and Education, 2005

All Research Initiatives