Dr. Thomas HEBERER is Chair Professor of East Asian Politics at the Institute of Political Science and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen.

Dr. Gunter SCHUBERT is Chair Professor of Greater China Studies at the Institute of Chinese and Korean Studies, Eberhard Karls-University in Tuebingen.

Using in-depth case studies of a wide-range of political, social and economic reforms in contemporary China this volume sheds light on the significance and consequences of institutional change for stability of the political system in China. The contributors examine how reforms shape and change Communist rule and Chinese society, and to what extent they may engender new legitimacy for the CCP regime and argue that authoritarian regimes like the PRC can successfully generate stability in the same way as democracies.

Topics addressed include:

ideological reform,

rural tax- for-fees reforms,

elections in villages and urban neighbourhood communities,

property rights in rural industries,

endogenous political constraints of transition,

internalising capital markets,

the media market in transition,

the current social security system,

the labour market

environmental policy reforms to anti-poverty policies and NGOs.

Exploring the possibility of legitimate one-party rule in China, this book is a stimulating and informative read for students and scholars interested in political science and Chinese politics