Dali L. Yang

Patterns of China's Regional Development Strategy

The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast Chinas approaches to regional industrial development in the Maoist and post-Mao periods. By focusing on patterns of investment and regional shares of gross value of industrial output (GVIO), this article will argue that Chinas regional industrialization strategy has changed to one of uneven regional growth in the post-Mao period from the Maoist emphasis on eradicating regional industrial disparities through interior–orientated investments. In short, the post-Mao Chinese leadership has not only relaxed its Incantation of the Golden Hoop, or strait-jacket on the coastal region but has come to rely on the coastal region to provide the “engine of growth” for Chinas economic development. For the sake of simplicity, I will call the development strategy of the 1953–78 period the “Maoist development strategy.” Though it varied in degrees in different sub-periods, the Maoist strategy dominated Chinas industrialization efforts until it gradually faded out in the late 1970s. It relied on heavily redistributive measures in an attempt to equalize regional economic development, emphasized- Extensive rather than intensive modes of economic growth, and allowed no foreign direct investment in China. In contrast, the post-Mao Chinese leadership has gradually, but decidedly, reversed the Maoist model and come to adopt a new development strategy. This new strategy, which, for lack of a better term, I shall call the “uneven development strategy,” represents another attempt to bring China out of economic backwardness. Focusing on economic results, the new strategy emphasizes regional comparative advantage, accepts regional disparities as inevitable, encourages foreign investment and international interaction, and seeks to foster technological innovation.

The political dynamics of regulatory change: Speculation and regulation in the real estate sector

Chinas real estate sector has experienced dramatic changes since the late 1980s. This article explores the political economy of Chinas recent ‘real estate fever’ and examines the governments efforts to deal with rampant speculation and foster the growth of a real estate industry. It suggests that the political dynamics of regulatory changes in the real estate sector illustrate the problems of Chinese policy making in the reform era.

Political Institutions, Provincial Interests, and Resource Allocation in Reformist China

We test two models of Chinas political economy using data on provincial representation in the center and the distribution of investment funds across provincial units. One model points to central control over the provinces while the other predicts that more resources will go to those provinces that boast greater representation in the center. Adjusted for control variables, our data analyses find some support for both models and reveal the conditions under which the models would hold. The center treats central cities and other provinces differently. Moreover, central‐provincial interactions are contingent on the macro-political environment.

The politics of famine and reform in rural China

Abstract While the causes of the Great Leap Famine must be sought in politics, the general literature has tended to place too much emphasis on the role of top leaders. Focusing on the commune mess hall as a key institutional link, the paper points to systematic patterns in the incidence of famine across the provinces and suggests that these patterns were embedded in Chinas political history dating back to the communist takeover. The paper also argues that the Great Leap Famine induced profound disillusionment with agrarian radicalism and laid the cognitive and political foundations for dismantling the commune system in China.

State Capacity on the Rebound

Despite China’s stellar record of economic growth since the late 1970s, skepticism about the country’s future abounds. Serious questions have been raised about the picture created by China’s economic statistics and, by extension, about its growth record. 1 Even if we accept the official statistics at face value, conventional wisdom holds that China faces daunting challenges in creating jobs, shoring up its shaky banking system, dealing with rising income inequality, and protecting the environment. While an increasing number of Chinese cities, particularly along the coast, have become global manufacturing centers, unemployment among state-sector workers has skyrocketed. In recent years, the rural population has fallen on especially hard times from the triple whammy of a prolonged slump in farm prices, a major slowdown in non-farm employment creation, and local-government rapacity. For these reasons, it has become almost de rigeur to speak of China as being in crisis.

How does political trust affect social trust? An analysis of survey data from rural China using an instrumental variables approach

Using an instrumental variable approach, we analyze survey data to untangle the relationship between social and political trust in contemporary China. We find strong evidence that political trust enhances social trust in China and the results are robust to a range of measures, including the generalized social trust question, as well as three contextualized trust questions. We also shed light on the impact of economic modernization on social trust. Our findings contribute to the general literature on trust and provide a better understanding of the complicated relationship between political trust and social trust. They also offer insight into the dynamics of trust production and reproduction in China and thus into China’s socio-political development.

China's Long March to Freedom

Abstract:Yang highlights several factors that augur well for freedom in China. These factors include growing elite discourse on human rights and democracy as well as a massive expansion of tertiary education that will make a new generation more capable of articulating its interests. International factors include the expansion of democracy in Asia and Chinas aspirations to be a responsible global power in a world in which the leading powers are democracies. Ultimately Chinas political transformation will not be determined by the top elite alone but will be subject to negotiation and contestation among diverse interests.

The global recession and China's political economy

PART I: ECONOMIC REBALANCING AND ADJUSTMENT Chinas Response to the Global Crisis, and the Lessons Learned B.Naughton Guojin Mintui : The Global Crisis and Changing State-Economy Relations in China D.L.Yang J.Jiang Visible Hand or Crippled Hand: Stimulation and Stabilization in Chinas Real Estate Markets, 2008-2010 F.Su R.Tao Global Crisis and Chinas Trade Adjustment S.Y.Tong PART II: STATE-SOCIETY RELATIONS AND GOVERNANCE Slowdown in the Worlds Workshop? Chinese Labor in the Global Recession W.Hurst Public Goods and State-Society Relations: An Impact Study of Chinas Rural Stimulus E.Michelson The Role of the Legal Institutions in Dealing with the Financial Crisis in China X.Zhang Corruption, Local Protectionism, and the Global Crisis in China A.Wedeman Chinas Rising Appeal to Taiwan and Hong Kong in the Wake of the International Financial Crisis J.Cheng The China Model and the Global Crisis: A Historical Comparison M.Wan

Discontented miracle : growth, conflict, and institutional adaptations in China

China has been enjoying stellar economic growth for more than a quarter of a century. Yet the rapid growth amid market-oriented reforms has not been an unalloyed blessing. The “China Miracle” has been accompanied by soaring income inequality and rising social tensions, over-taxing China’s resource base and contributing to an environmental crisis. Despite substantial improvement in the standard of living and other social indicators, China’s leaders have, in the aftermath of the Tiananmen crackdown, steadfastly held back the opening up of the political system. In this volume, contributors from the disciplines of economics, political science, and sociology examine how existing institutions, broadly defined, might have exacerbated tensions in Chinas evolving economy, society and polity as well as how institutional developments have been introduced to deal with existing or emerging conflicts and tensions.

The Politics of Quality-of-Life Issues: Food Safety and Political Trust in China

Abstract As incomes have risen, quality-of-life issues have become increasingly prominent in China. How does the growing salience of quality-of-life issues affect Chinese politics and policy? Drawing on data from a Chinese national survey, the article examines the patterns of public attitudes toward food safety, a major quality-of-life concern in contemporary China. The article finds that the young, well-educated, as well as public sector employees tend to have a high level of concern for food safety risks. The article also finds that lack of confidence in food safety erodes public trust in both local and central authorities. These findings point to the importance of food safety as a public policy issue and help explain the Chinese leadership’s policy and institutional responses to food safety concerns.