Holding China Together

Despite many predictions of collapse and disintegration, China has managed to sustain unity and gain international stature since the Tiananmen crisis of 1989. This volume addresses the ‘fragmentation/disintegration thesis’ and examines the sources and dynamics of China’s resilience. Through theoretically informed empirical studies, the volume’s authors look at key institutions for political integration and economic governance. They also dissect how difficult policies to regulate economic and social life (employment and migration, population planning, industrial adjustment, and regional disparities) are designed and implemented. The authors show that China’s leaders have retained authoritarian political institutions, but have also reinforced and modified them, constructing new ones in the light of changing circumstances. In policy implementation, China’s leaders have learnt by doing and made significant and effective adaptations to socio-economic policies. Institutional and policy adaptations together have helped shore up political authority and create an environment for rapid growth, while accommodating growing diversity.