Product Description

Two sharply contrasting views of China exist today. On the one hand a rising superpower predicted to have the largest economy in the world by mid century, on the other hand a brutal, anachronistic and authoritarian regime, a threat to geo-stability and to the economies of the industrial world. So which China is the real China? Randall Peerenboom addresses this question by exploring China's economy, political and legal system, and most controversially, its record on civil, political and personal rights in the context of the developing world. Avoiding polemic and relying on empirical evidence, he compares China's performance not with first world countries such as the US and UK but with other middle income countries and highlights the often hypocritical stance of an international community which demands standards from others that it does not match at home. He also critically evaluates the benefits of globalisation and democratisation and the normative values of the West set against Beijing's determination to retain its cultural and political integrity. This book seeks to bridge the gap in understanding about China and to create a firmer foundation for mutual trust, while recognising that there are inevitable risks in a shift in global power of this magnitude that will require hard headed pragmatism at times where interests collide.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49950 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Sunday Times (Culture), January 21, 2007
Perceptive.

Review
important and timely (Japanese Journal of Political Seadership because it is perhaps one of the clearest statements in favour of the Chinese model to yet emerge. Its main contribution is to help the China field place the great debate about the Chinese model in the context of the global politics. In an era in which China has replaced the Soviet Union and Chile in the global search for alternative modernities to liberal democracy, the book will be useful not only in the undergraduate classroom but also in the foreign policy world. )

Perceptive. (David Smith, Sunday Times (Culture) )

Randy Peerenboom has jumped with vigor and data into the ever deepening debate over how to view China. Going beyond the previous focus on the economic aspects of the East Asian Model, he shows that the EAM has served China well and suggests that other countries may also learn from China's experiences. Sure to set off debate, China Modernizes is a must read. (Joseph Fewsmith, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, Boston University )

Peerenboom's measured response to its dynamic present, caution us against more panicky assessments (The contribution to studies of law and development, globalization and modernization is essential reading for all those interested in understanding the nature and implications of China's "model of development" . No matter whether this message pleases readers, the case definitely needs to be heard. )

Randall Peerenboom, THES
"Peerenboom's appraisal deserves to be heard: it will help the general public who are interested in China and encourage policymakers to reassess their views."

Customer Reviews

a very useful survey
This is a very low keyed book, fairly balanced, and its emphasis is on China's relative performance on human rights: legal but also economic and material in the largest sense. The format is a bit didactic, with questions raised and then answered, but the end result is a useful portrait of a very complex and very important nation. It is not as critical as one might wish but neither is it an apologia. On the whole, useful because China is so important.

At last! real information on China
So many books about China are wafer thin in terms of new conceptual content. Generally speaking they are written by a journalist or a business person at the end of their tenure in China. Usually anecdotal, they expand topics and themes for which western newspaper editors have largely prepared us. This book, balanced and well-informed, will question most westerners' assumptions about China. It analyzes the timing and benefits of democratization for a developing country against the priorities of modernisation as compared with the experiences of other countries in East Asia from Japan to the Philipinnes. Although it provides shocking evidence that China is held to a double standard, especially as compared with India and Russia, it nonetheless treads a balanced line not holding its punches on China's well known deficiencies in upholding human and civil rights. If you are not put off by an academic tone and a little jargon, you will find yourself at a new starting point for your thinking on China.