This volume deepens analysis of China’s transition from communism and places the Chinese case in comparative and theoretical perspective. Six chapters probe the transition process in the three main sectors of the Chinese party-state—military and police, taxation and investment, and social and cultural policies. Introductory and concluding sections address post-Leninist transitions more generally and compare China’s experiences to those of Taiwan, Mongolia, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
The authors stress differences between communist countries, between institutional sectors, and between different kinds of institutional analysis. Their analytical approaches range from classic organization theory (particularly of power and compliance) to recent institutional analysis (particularly of delegation and agency).
"Winckler [provides] a dazzling introduction, a masterly and comprehensive essay on transformations in six Asian Leninist regimes, and a searching and incisive analytical conclusion, exploring the ability to illuminate Leninist transitions from a set of theoretical approaches current in the political science literature.... this is a provocative, informative, scholarly and astute collection."—Dorothy J. Solinger, Pacific Affairs
"A noteworthy advance in comparative analyses of the transition from communism.... Highly recommended for undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty."—Choice