Public Security And Governance In Contemporary China

The recent rise in reported public security issues in China is one of the most repeated concerns amongst the Chinese authorities. During the past 30 years of reform in China, stability maintenance as a governance strategy has in fact laid a solid foundation for the overall development and growth of the nation. However, it remains to be seen whether this approach can sustain economic growth as well as political stability in the near future. This book examines this policy of stability maintenance, as adopted by the Chinese government, in different social circumstances. Using a variety of examples, including hospital disputes, incidents of environmental pollution, food safety issues and disaster settlements, it takes a multi-disciplinary approach, using empirical data to assess the true picture of contentious politics in China. Although stability maintenance has played a major role in confronting many of the serious challenges posed to China’s public security, ultimately, the book concludes that as a governance strategy it can only be short-term and will surely be replaced, due to its high costs. Using case studies from across China, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Chinese Studies, Political Science and Sociology. It will also appeal to journalists and policy analysts with an interest in Chinese politics and society.

Despite a centralized formal structure, Chinese politics and policy-making have long been marked by substantial degrees of regional and local variation and experimentation. These trends have, if anything, intensified as China’s reform matures. Though often remarked upon, the politicsof policy formation, diffusion, and implementation at the subnational level have not previously been comprehensively described, let alone satisfactorily explained. Based on extensive fieldwork, this book explores how policies diffuse across China today, the mechanisms through which local governments actually arrive at specific solutions, and the implications for China’s political development and stability in the years ahead. The chapters examine how local-level institutions solve governance challenges, such as rural development, enterprise reform, and social service provision. Focusing on diverse policy areas that include land use, state-owned enterprise reform, and house churches, the contributors all address the same overarching question: how do local policymakers innovate in each issue area to address a governance challenges and how, if at all, do these innovations diffuse into national politics. As a study of local governance in China today, this book will appeal to both students and scholars of Chinese politics, comparative politics, governance and development studies, and also to policy-makers interested in authoritarianism and governance.

This book focuses on the practice and experience of urban delicacy governance in Xuhui District, Shanghai. As we know, urbanization is the inevitable course for agricultural civilization to move towards industrial civilization. Over the past forty years, the urbanization of China has developed rapidly and has become an important push for economic development and social progress. At the same time, the rapid expansion of city scale, the shortage of public services, environmental pollution, traffic congestion, housing tension, as well as other urban pain points have emerged, and these have brought about serious challenges to urban governance. Delicacy management is the concentrated expression of modern scientific management theory and the inherent requirement to realize the modernization of national governance systems and governance capability. From delicacy management to delicacy governance, urban governance needs the transformation of logic. Shanghai has been identified as the only super city in the Yangtze River Delta and East China. It is of great significance to understand the theory and practice of urban governance in Shanghai. Meanwhile, Xuhui District is one of the seven central urban areas in Shanghai with a profound historical background, important institutions, advanced science and education.

China has achieved significant socio-economic progress and has become a key player on the international stage after several decades of open-door and reform policy. Looking beyond China's transformation, this book focusses on the theme of governance which is widely regarded as the next most critical element to ensure that China's growth remains sustainable.Today, China is confronted with a host of pressing challenges that call for urgent attention. These include the need to rebalance and restructure the economy, the widening income gaps, the poor integration of migrant populations in the urban areas, insufficient public housing and healthcare coverage, the seeming lack of political reforms and the degree of environmental degradation. In the foreign policy arena, China is likewise under pressure to do more to address global concerns while not appearing to be overly aggressive. The next steps that China takes would have a great deal to do with governance, in terms of how it tackles or fails to address the myriad of challenges, both domestic and foreign.China: Development and Governance, with 57 short chapters in total, is based on up-to-date scholarly research written in a readable and concise style. Besides China's domestic developments, it also covers China's external relations with the United States, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Non-specialists, in particular, should find this volume accessible and useful in keeping up with fast-changing developments in East Asia.

China’s structure of governance has also been substantially altered in response to globalization. A unique model of political development is underway in China, which differs considerably from those conceived under both traditional socialist and liberal Western models. This volume tackles these issues of global importance through the analytical prowess of one of China’s leading intellectuals.

The acceleration of globalization and the rise of China are among the most important events in the 21st century. Globalization is a double-edged sword for human society. There is a strong belief among the international community that global governance is the most effective solution to most of our global problems. In this volume Chinese scholars contribute to the study of global governance by exploring ways to effectively face the tough challenges brought by globalization, such as economic prosperity, environmental issues, and global security.

This book presents a uniquely dynamic and fluid model of political evolution in the world's largest and most powerful authoritarian regime.

The lack of significant improvement in people’s health status and other mounting health challenges in China raise a puzzling question about the country’s internal transition: why did the reform-induced dynamics produce an economic miracle, but fail to reproduce the success Mao had achieved in the health sector? This book examines the political and policy dynamics of health governance in post-Mao China. It explores the political-institutional roots of the public health and health care challenges and the evolution of the leaders’ policy response in contemporary China. It argues that reform-induced institutional dynamics, when interacting with Maoist health policy structure in an authoritarian setting, have not only contributed to the rising health challenges in contemporary China, but also shaped the patterns and outcomes of China’s health system transition. The study of China’s health governance will further our understanding of the evolving political system in China and the complexities of China’s rise. As the world economy and international security are increasingly vulnerable to major disease outbreaks in China, it also sheds critical light on China’s role in global health governance.

Environmental governance in an authoritarian state is highly dependent on government actors and actions. In the case of China, the state-oriented approach exhibits some shortfalls and fatigue, especially after decades of privileging breakneck economic development over environmental conservation. Recognizing growth is self-limiting if public health and security fail, the state is willing to strengthen environmental policies at the central level. This provides opportunities for institutional change when coupled with bottom-up pressure from a growing middle class and intellectuals who assert their representation of the general public. In order to understand the state-civil society relationship and dynamics of environmental governance in an authoritarian state I chose to analyze a new environmental governance instrument in China, the Environmental Public-interest Litigation (EPiL) policy. Using an empirical case study and action research methodology, I found that civil society organizations in China have attained a functional role in environmental governance vis-à-vis the authoritarian state, albeit subject to constant control and changes imposed by the state as it conducts policy experiments and implements new policies involving nonstate actors. This observation demonstrates that civil society, as a private actor, can complement state agencies to contribute to environmental law enforcement as laboratories for legal theories and practices. It also supports good governance in responding to social-environmental issues and stability of the society at large, given the state remains open to civil society. This research highlights how processes of institutionalization and organizational specialization allow civil society organizations to develop professional capabilities that create opportunities to influence public policy. We see the openings and opportunities are there for civil society organizations, but there is also fluidity in governance in China. These research outcomes invite future studies.

This Handbook offers a critical analysis of the major theoretical and empirical issues in public policy and public administration in China. Investigating methodological, theoretical, and conceptual themes, it provides an insightful reflection on how China is governed.