This book explores how the policy-making process is changing in the very volatile conditions of present day mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It considers the overall background conditions – the need to rebalance in mainland China after years of hectic economic growth; governance transition and democratic consolidation in Taiwan; and governance crisis in Hong Kong under a regime of uncertain legitimacy. It examines the various actors in the policy-making process – the civic engagement of ordinary people and the roles of legislators, mass media and bureaucracy – and discusses how these actors interact in a range of different policy cases. Throughout the book contrasts the different approaches in the three different jurisdictions, and assesses how the policy-making process is changing and how it is likely to change further.
The growth of municipal waste is a common challenge found in the urbanised cities of Greater China, but the question of how to manage municipal waste is controversial. Wong examines the politics of managing municipal waste in three cities of Greater China: Guangzhou, Taipei, and Hong Kong. She looks at the controversies that arise from the issue and the consequent politicisation of the various solutions that are adopted. Focusing particularly on the dynamics of policy actors in the three cities, she compares the different political situations in each with the others. This provides a valuable lens through which to explore the larger issue of the political transformation of Environmental Management in the Greater China region. A compelling insight into environmental policymaking in Greater China, for scholars studying the dynamics of Chinese politics.
The authoritarian Chinese regimes governing Taiwan, Mainland China, and Hong Kong allowed limited electoral competition during the last half century. In Taiwan that process evolved over more than three decades before leading to the formation of an opposition party under martial law in late September 1986 and the blossoming of full democracy in March 2000 when that opposition party replaced the ruling party. In Mainland China and Hong Kong, limited electoral competition has only evolved over the last fifteen years or so. This volume examines why and how limited electoral competition developed in Greater China. The editors use a typology and different concepts to analyse how the political centre in these three Chinese societies historically interacted with society and how different regime change took place. Their analysis attributes Taiwan's robust electoral competition under martial law to political breakthroughs in the political, ideological, economic, and organizational marketplaces. Without similar political breakthroughs in Mainland China and Hong Kong, their limited electoral processes are not likely to lead to the election of one or more opposition parties in Mainland China and the direct election of a Hong Kong governor and parliament. These two authoritarian regimes have adopted different institutions, or rules, to limit electoral competition. Moreover, different changes have been taking place in their political, ideological, economic, and organizational marketplaces than occurred in Taiwan. Therefore, whether these two Chinese societies can mimic the Taiwan democratization path remains problematic. Only the passage of time will reveal whether their limited electoral competitive processes can transform into full democracy.
East Asia is at the heart of the global economic transformation, and the countries of the region are witnessing rapidly changing labour markets, alongside the pressure to cut production costs and lower taxes in order to become successful ‘competition states’. These changes have resulted in increased welfare demands which governments, organizations and agencies across the region have had to address. This book examines welfare regimes in the Greater China region, encompassing mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. In so doing, it explores the ways in which the rapid growth and internationalisation of the economy across Greater China is presenting new social policy challenges that governments, social welfare organizations and agencies in the region are having to respond to. Rather than simply describing and categorising welfare systems, the contributors to this volume add to our understanding of how one of the major economic transformations of the contemporary era in East Asia is shaping welfare provision in the region. In turn, in this context of economic change, they examine the new strategies and measures that have been adopted in order to reduce the heavy burden on the state in terms of welfare provision, whilst also attempting to diversify funding and provision sources to meet the pressing welfare needs. Based upon extensive fieldwork by leading scholars of social policy, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Asian social policy, comparative development and social policy, social welfare and Chinese studies.
Policy change is an important phenomenon of China's politics. The government adopts policies to address problems, supply services and control the society. Studying policy change helps understand the mechanism of policy making as well as the governance and regime resilience of China. It shows how Chinese articulate concerns and bring them to the attention of decision makers and the ways in which decision makers receive feedback and information about existing policies and problems. This paper traces the process of three policy reforms, the Rural Cooperative Medical System (1982-2002), the urban demolition policy (2003-2009) and the national dairy product safety standard (2008-2009). This research particularly focuses on agenda setting of policy reforms. It aims to explain how the decision to modify the existing policy is made under China's political structure and environment. The study finds the actors who influence the perceptions of decision makers and priorities of governmental agendas, the access they have and the factors that facilitate or impede policy change. The findings suggest that apart from conventional wisdom on agenda setting dynamics of authoritarian regimes, China's governmental agenda is responsive to the problems and concerns rising from the society. A variety of actors inside and outside the state such as bureaucrats, experts, media, public and international organizations, engage policy debate and problem definition, and thus influence agenda setting. Elite advocacy driven by senior officials, focusing events and heightened media and public attention significantly increase issue salience to decision makers and therefore appear to be the most effective dynamics to influence the priorities of decision makers on agendas. The participation and influence of these actors show that the process of agenda setting in China is more permeable and pluralistic than before. However, the research also finds that due to institutional restrictions, regular Chinese have difficulties articulating their interests collectively and persistently. Their influences are also affected by the political capacities which vary from population to population. The current access on which most outside actors rely is not formal, institutionalized, reliable and sustainable. The study depicts the process of agenda setting and builds a framework to explain policy change dynamics and state-society relation during this process. It argues that the responsiveness of governmental agenda and the increasing permeability of policy process in China provide an explanation for the regime resilience and adaptability.
This pioneering work provides a systematic analysis of the applicability of a range of policy-making theories and models in post-Mao China. Its main findings are as follows: 1) Although Marxism is still the fundamental guiding thought of China's policy-making, a greater flexibility has been adopted. 2) The twin approaches of incrementalism and pragmatism are the foundation of China's policy-making mechanism, powerfully promoting its successful operation. 3) The rise of a pluralist tendency significantly influences China's policy process, this includes the increasing involvement of the non-CPC (Communist Party of China) or non-government political and social forces. 4) Political elites continue to dominate China's policy-making process and its central role is much more prominent than in other modern countries. 5) Existing institutions are decisive in shaping China's policy making model, by determining the power structure and the power relations within which the policy making actions take place. The book adopts a method that probes the major development, changes and features of post-Mao China through examining the applicability of selected policy making theories and models to the practice of promoting China's Special Economic Zones (SEZ) since 1978.
This book aims to make a theoretical, empirical and prescriptive contribution to the contemporary study of policy transfer. In the first regard, it observes that despite bold claims to the contrary (see Dolowitz and Marsh, 1996; and Evans, ed., 2010), most studies of policy transfer are characterised by their mono-cultural understanding of the process of policy-oriented learning reflected in an obsession with the destination of transfer rather than its original policy setting or settings. This betrays an absence of strong comparative investigation of the process of learning. Moreover, existing approaches to the study of policy transfer networks (the process of policy learning) are limited by their narrow epistemological perspectives as in the main they tend to lend undue focus on actors, ideas/interests or structure. Following the work of Marsh and Smith on policy networks (2000), this book contends that these elements cannot be separately analyzed. It therefore advances an interactive model of policy transfer networks that investigates the process of learning through three interactive dimensions: between structure and agents, network and context, and network and outcome. The book's second main contribution - the presentation of original case study explorations of the role of policy transfer in facilitating the rise of the Quasi-Competition State. The book contends that policy transfer has become a key policy instrument in the process of transition from a command to a market socialist economy, and latterly to what may be termed a Quasi-Competition State. Indeed, in order to meet the perceived imperatives of state transformation, the 'Reform and Open Door' policy has been featured by a broad range of processes of policy learning. It is, however, beyond the scope of this book to present a comprehensive description and explanation of this complex and multi-faceted reform process, rather the aim of this account is to provide an examination of certain processes of policy transfer which are broadly indicative of the dynamics of change underpinning the incremental process of reform. The third and final contribution of this book lies in its identification of the ingredients of rational policy transfer which can hopefully help guide future Chinese policy-makers to more progressive policy outcomes.
This much-needed new textbook introduces readers to the development of China's welfare polices since its conception of an open-door policy in 1978. Setting out basic concepts and issues, including key terms and the process of policy making, it overcomes a major barrier to understanding Chinese social policy. The book explores in detail the five key policy areas of employment, social security, health, education and housing. Each is examined using a human well-being framework comprising both qualitative and quantitative data and eight dimensions: physical and psychological well-being, social integration, fulfilment of caring duties, human learning and development, self-determination, equal value and just polity. This enables the authors to provide not only factual information on policies but also an in-depth understanding of the impact of welfare changes on the quality of life of Chinese people over the past three decades. A major strength of the book lies in its use of primary Chinese language sources, including relevant White Papers, central and local government policy documents, academic research studies and newspapers for each policy area. There are very few books in English on social policy in China, and this book will be welcomed both by academics and students of China and East Asian studies and comparative social policy and by those who want to know more about China's social development.
China Policy Journal (CPJ) is an international peer-reviewed journal devoted to the publication of rigorous policy research and analysis with an emphasis on contemporary policy issues in Greater China under the aegis of the Policy Studies Organization (PSO). The journal encompasses systematic analysis of policy choices in dealing with key issues of science and innovation policy, environment, energy security, sustainability, infrastructure development, resource management, education, poverty reduction, and information technology, as well as rigorous evaluation of outcomes and consequences of policy change. The journal also aims to bring together manuscripts offering quality original research that makes a strong theoretical or empirical contribution to a better understanding of policy development process as well as the politics of policy-making in China. The audience for CPJ comprises members of the academic community, as well as members of the policy community, including government officials, NGOs and advocacy groups, research institutes and policy analysts. CPJ is edited at the Institute for Public Policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
