Changing State-Society Relations in Contemporary China

This book attempts to provide an overview of social and political changes in Chinese society since the global financial crisis. Rapid economic development has restructured the setup of society and empowered or weakened certain social players. The chapters in this book provide an updated account of a wide range of social changes, including the rise of the middle class and private entrepreneurs, the declining social status of the working class, as well as the resurgence of non-governmental organisations and the growing political mobilisation on the internet. The authors also examine the implications of those changes for state-society relations, governance, democratic prospects, and potentially for the stability of the current political regime.

Contents:

• Changing Social Classes and Social Groups:

  • Return Migration in China: Trends and Impacts (ZHAO Litao)
  • Chinese Working Class in Transition: From Master of Enterprises to New-Generation Migrant Worker (QI Dongtao and LIU Ji)
  • Chinese Private Entrepreneurs: Attributes, Identity and Political Concerns (YANG Jing)
  • China's New Rich: Growth and Challenge (ZHAO Litao and SHENG Sixin)
  • China's Rising Middle Class (YANG Jing)
  • The Middle Class in Chinese Democratisation (HU Xiaobo)
  • Same Bed, Different Dreams: The Bifurcation of the Chinese Communist Party (TANG Wenfang)

• Growing New Social Forces:

  • Non-Governmental Organisations in China: Post-2008 Expansion and the New Challenges (WONG Man Lai, Sonia)
  • Revolution Postponed: The Limitation of the Internet in Promoting Democracy in China (TANG Wenfang, ZHANG Yang and Sheri MARTIN )
  • Internet Development and its Influences on China's Legal System and Legal Reforms (LIANG Bin)
  • Weibo and its Political and Social Impacts on China (YANG Lijun and CAO Shenshen)

• Approaching the State:

  • Women's Political Participation in China (GUO Xiajuan and YANG Lijun)
  • China's Spate of Labour Protests: Tables Turned for Chinese Workers? (YEW Chiew Ping)

Readership: Academics, undergraduate and graduate students, professionals, and policymakers interested in China's rising civil society, Chin's state-society relations and governance of the rising civil society.