Other assigned readings will be available on Blackboard.

Transcription

1 POLS : Contemporary Chinese Politics. Spring 2015 Thomas F. Remington Tarbutton 306 tel Office hours: Tuesday, 2:30-4:00 Class: 9 : 9:50 AM, M-W-F. Tarbutton 105. In this course we will examine contemporary Chinese politics, covering regime institutions and processes, policies and their effects, and the dynamics of political development. We will begin with a brief overview of Chinese political history since the founding of the People's Republic, then discuss the reform era beginning in We will address the role of the Chinese Communist party and central government, as well as the role of subnational government. We will examine state-society relations and political participation and protest as well as economic and social policy. We will briefly cover China's international political and economic relations before concluding with a discussion of the policy challenges China faces in the future. No prior background in the study of China is expected. However, POLS 120 or its equivalent is a prerequisite. Two required textbooks are assigned: 1. Tony Saich, Governance and Politics of China, 3rd ed. ISBN: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, paperback 2. Joseph Fewsmith, ed. China Today, China Tomorrow: Domestic Politics, Economy, and Society. ISBN: Rowman and Littlefield, paperback. Other assigned readings will be available on Blackboard. Grading: There will be one mid-term and one final exam, each counting 30% toward the final grade. Each will consist of short identification questions and an essay. In addition, a research paper (approximately 20 pages in length) will be required. Students will be required to submit, in writing and by specified deadlines throughout the semester, a statement of the topic of the paper; an outline; a bibliography; and a final draft. The grading is as follows: 1. statement of topic: not graded. Due January outline: 10% of course grade. Due March 2 3. bibliography: 10% of course grade. Due April 1 4. final draft: 20% of course grade. Due April total: 40% of course grade

2 Class attendance and participation, as well as improvement over the semester, will be taken into account in determining the final grade. January 14. introduction to course January 16. Overview--regional diversity Saich, GPC, chs. 1-2 January 21. Political history, Saich, GPC, ch. 3; Kenneth Lieberthal, Governing China: From Revolution through Reform, 2nd ed., ch. 4, pp Jan. 23. Mao and the post-mao era Stuart R. Schram, "Mao Zedong a Hundred Years On: The Legacy of a Ruler," China Quarterly(137) (1994): Kenneth Lieberthal, Governing China: From Revolution through Reform, 2nd ed., ch. 5, pp Jan. 26. Political history since 1978 Susan Shirk, The Political Logic of Economic Reform in China. (Berkeley, CA, University of California Press, 1993), pp "Chinese Political Institutions and the Path of Economic Reform" Ezra Vogel, Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China (Harvard University Press, 2011), ch. 24, "China Transformed" Jan. 28. Political history since 1978, con't Saich, ch. 4 Jan. 30. Xi Jinping and the consolidation of power. Paper topic statement due. Elizabeth Economy, "China's Imperial President," Foreign Affairs, Nov./Dec Joseph Fewsmith, "Xi Jinping's Fast Start," China Leadership Monitor, 2013, no. 41. Xi Jinping, "The Governance of China," China Watch, China Today Feb. 2. Communist Party structure Saich, GPC, ch. 5. Fewsmith, "Elite Politics," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 8. Feb. 6. Factionalism and Ideology Victor C. Shih, "Factions Matter: Personal Networks and the Distribution of Bank Loans in China," Journal of Contemporary China 13(38) (2004): Ren Jiantao, "Ideology," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 10 Dickson, Bruce J., Wealth into Power: The Communist Party's Embrace of China's

3 Private Sector. (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2008), ch. 1, pp Feb. 8. Central govt and policy-making Saich, GPC, ch. 6 Kenneth G. Lieberthal, Introduction: The Fragmented Authoritarianism Model and Its Limitations, in Lieberthal and David M. Lampton, eds., Bureaucracy, Politics, and Decision Making in Post-Mao China (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1992) Feb. 11. Central govt and policy-making, con't Sebastian Heilmann, "Policy-Making through Experimentation: The Formation of a Distinctive Policy Process," in Sebastian Heilmann and Elizabeth J. Perry, eds., Mao's Invisible Hand: The Political Foundations of Adaptive Governance in China, (Cambridge: MA: Harvard University Press, 2011), ch. 3, Feb. 13. Toward pluralism? Andrew C. Mertha, ""Fragmented Authoritarianism 2.0": Political Pluralization in the Chinese Policy Process," The China Quarterly 200 (2009): Feb. 16. Subnational government Saich, GPC, ch. 7 Minxin Pei, China's Trapped Transition (Harvard University Press, 2006), ch. 4, "Transforming the State: From Developmental to Predatory," pp Feb. 18. Market-preserving federalism? Montinola, Gabriella, Yingyi Qian and Barry R. Weingast, "Federalism, Chinese Style: The Political Basis for Economic Success in China." World Politics 48:1 (1995): Chenggang Xu. The Fundamental Institutions of China s Reforms and Development, Journal of Economic Literature (2011) 49:4, pp Feb. 20. No class. Feb. 23. Market-corroding federalism? Hongbin Cai and Daniel Treisman, "Did Government Decentralization Cause China's Economic Miracle?," World Politics 58: Feb. 25. Local government and accountability Zheng, "Center-Local Relations," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 11. Yawei Liu, "Local Elections," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 9. (Yawei Liu to visit) Feb. 27. Local government and accountability, con't

4 Tsai, Lily L., "The Struggle for Village Public Goods Provision: Informal Institutions of Accountability in Rural China. Grassroots Political Reform in Contemporary China. Elizabeth J. Perry and Merle Goldman, Eds. (Cambridge, MA; London, Harvard University Press 2007), Mar. 2. Village elections. Paper outline due Melanie Manion, "The Electoral Connection in the Chinese Countryside," American Political Science Review 90(4) (1996): Martinez-Bravo et al., Elections in China Mar. 4. Midterm review Mar. 6. Midterm exam Mar. 18. Economy Saich, GPC, ch. 10 Naughton, "Economic Growth," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 4. March 20. Economy, con't Heilmann, "Economic Governance," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 6. March 23. Inequality Riskin, "Inequality," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 5. Li Shi, Hiroshi Sato and Terry Sicular, Eds. (2013). Rising Inequality in China: Challenges to a Harmonious Society. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, ch. 1. Li Shi, Hiroshi Sato, and Terry Sicular. Rising Inequality in China: Key Issues and Findings. March 25. Labor relations Saich, GPC, ch. 11 Dorothy J. Solinger, "Labor Discontent in China in Comparative Perspective," Eurasian Geography and Economics 48(4) (2007): March 27. Labor relations, con t Lee, Ching Kwan, "Is Labor a Political Force in China? Grassroots Political Reform in Contemporary China. Elizabeth J. Perry and Merle Goldman, Eds. (Cambridge, MA; London, Harvard University Press 2007), Remington & Cui paper on labor contract law March 30. Religion and ethnicity Weller and Sun, "Religion," in Fewsmith, CTCT Susan McCarthy, Communist Multiculturalism, ch. 3, "Dharma and Development among the Xishuangbanna Dai" Rong Ma, "A New Perspective in Guiding Ethnic Relations in the Twenty-first Century: 'De-Politicization' of Ethnicity in China," Asian Ethnicity 8(3) (2007): Apr. 1. Political participation and protest. Paper bibliography due

5 Saich, GPC, ch. 8 Perry, "Popular Protest," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 1. Apr. 3. Protest, con t Goldman, Merle, From Comrade to Citizen: The Struggle for Political Rights in China. (Cambridge, MA; London, Harvard University Press, 2005), ch. 8, "The Expansion of Rights Consciousness," pp April 6. Media, social media, and communications Saich, GPC, ch. 9 Gary King, Jennifer Pan, & Margaret Roberts, "How Government in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression" APSR, (on Blackboard) Beina Xu, Media Censorship in China, Council on Foreign Relations, (on Blackboard) Apr. 8. Foreign policy Saich, GPC, ch. 12 Andrew J. Nathan and Andrew Scobell, "How China Sees America," Foreign Affairs, 91:5 (Sept/ October 2012), pp Aaron L. Friedberg, "Bucking Beijing," Foreign Affairs, 91:5 (Sept/ October 2012), pp Apr. 10. Foreign policy, con't Min Ye, "Foreign Direct Investment," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 7 Mary Gallagher, ""Reform and Openness:" Why China's Economic Reforms Have Delayed Democracy " World Politics 54 (2002): April. 13. Policy challenges 1: corruption Andrew Wedeman, "Growth and Corruption," China Research Center, 11:2 (2012). Melanie Manion, Corruption by Design (Harvard University Press, 2004), ch. 3, pp Xiabo Lu, "Booty Socialism, Bureau-Preneurs, and the State in Transition: Organizational Corruption in China," Comparative Poliitics 32(3) (2000): April 15. Policy challenges 2: Urbanization You-Tien Hsing, "Land and Territorial Politics in Urban China," China Quarterly, 187 (September 2006), pp Xsiaoyuan Wan, "China s Urbanization, Social Restructure and Public Administration Reforms: An Overview," Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies, 9:1 (2014), April 17. No class (MPSA) April 20. Policy challenges 3: energy and environment

6 Cunningham, "Energy Governance" ch. 12 in Fewsmith, CTCT Lewis, "Environmental Challenges," ch. 13 in Fewsmith, CTCT Elizabeth Economy, "The Great Leap Backward," Foreign Affairs (September/ October 2007). Apr. 22. Policy challenge 4: rule of law Horsley, "Rule of Law," in Fewsmith, CTCT, ch. 3 John Thornton, "Long Time Coming: The Prospects for Democracy in China," Foreign Affairs 87(1) (2008): Apr. 24. Policy challenges 5: pluralism and governance Saich, GPC, ch. 13. Yu Keping, "Democracy Is a Good Thing" (excerpts on Blackboard) April. 27. last day of class. Final exam review. Wednesday, May 6: 11:30-2:00. Final exam (in-class blue-book exam. Bring blue books)