Unlike many edited collections this book is not the compendium from a conference. Instead it flowed from an idea that surfaced among a group of interested scholars who took good guidance and sought contributions from others respected in the field. This targeting has borne fruit in the book's range and perceptiveness.

The topic is Chinese capitalisms, refreshingly plural in a simplifying world, and it sets out to examine—if not to fully answer—three questions: What forces underlie the economic dynamism of China and other Chinese societies? What are the political implications of capitalist development in these societies? Are these Chinese societies exhibiting unique Chinese characteristics?

In a powerful and challenging opening chapter, Chung-hwa Ku argues that an unintended consequence of Mao's attempt to build a socialist state via the weakening of family and clan ties was that the earlier patrimonial bureaucracy was replaced by a party bureaucracy. Some would argue that...

You do not currently have access to this content.