Suchergebnisse

In late 2003, the "theory of scientific development"(kexue fazhanguan) was espoused by the fourth generation of Chinese Communist leadership, led by Hu Jintao. It calls for people-centered development and promotes harmonic devlopment of the economy, society, and human beings. Its effective implementation is considered crucial for achieving sustainable growth and building a moderately prosperous society. Viewing the theory of scientific development as a new policy paradigm advocated by the central policy elites, this article explores the capacity of the Chinese state to institutionalize the shift from the well-entrenched paradigm of all-out development (GDPism) to a new paradigm based on a balance between economic growth, social development, and environmental protection. It argues that while the formulation of the new policy paradigm demonstrates the relatively high capacity of Chinese central policy elites for policy learning, its institutionalization has been a complex and protracted process due to the weakness of societal actors in the policy subsystem, which has resulted mainly from the existing central-local politics, and underdeveloped civil society, and weak links between the state and society in China

Discusses development of legal infrastructure to support market economy, focusing on new strategies for law-making, legal-economic relationships, and role of legal scholars.

Since 2003 the rapid development of China's social policy has aroused much academic interest. This research places the development of social policy in China's political and economic context, focusing on the changing role of the state in making and implementing social policy. Based on the policy paradigm theory, this article builds up a framework to analyse the shift of social policy paradigms in post-Mao China, examining the changing role of the Chinese state in social welfare and social development. It argues that China's latest round of social policy expansion was driven by the social problems accumulated during the economic reforms, with change triggered by the SARS crisis, and its shape finally determined by the central political leadership led by Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao in a top-down manner.

The evolution of international production chains has facilitated the flow of industrial capital from developed countries into China. Multinational corporations in China apparently make huge profits through exploiting cheap labour, but they also exert pressure on their contractors to improve workers' rights. International non-governmental organizations enter into the relationship with their moral force and global networks. The authority of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions was challenged, and new channels were offered in fighting for workers' rights. But within the existing Chinese political system and labour-market system, their roles all remain limited; the protection and promotion of workers' rights in China still demand a reform of the prevalent systems.