As part of their campaign to extend permanent normal trade relations with
China, President Clinton and Big Business claimed that China's economic
integration into the world economy would promote that country's
democratization. Others argue that capitalism is leading to greater tensions
in Chinese society and may cause a collapse of its political system. This is
one of many ongoing debates about the nature and direction of China's
political economy. This course places China's political economy in
historical and comparative perspective by considering: why did China not
experience an industrial revolution until the 20th century, how the
development of capitalism in China compare with elsewhere, twists and turns
in state-society relations, the economic policy-making process, and China's
foreign economic relations.
It is recommended that students already have taken a course on either China,
political economy, or international business. Tentative course requirements
include 125-150 pages of reading per week, 2 papers, 2 quizzes, and a final
exam.