Allies of the State: China's Private Entrepreneurs and Democratic Change (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780674048966)

Jie Chen and Bruce J. Dickson draw on extensive fieldwork as they explore the extent to which China's private sector supports democracy, surveying more than 2,000 entrepreneurs in five coastal provinces with over 70 percent of China's private enterprises. The authors examine who the private entrepreneurs are, how the party-state shapes this group, and what their relationship to the state is. China's entrepreneurs are closely tied to the state through political and financial relationships, and these ties shape their views toward democracy. While most entrepreneurs favor multi-candidate elections under the current one-party system, they do not support a system characterized by multi-party competition and political liberties, including the right to demonstrate. The key to regime support lies in the capitalists' political beliefs and their assessment of the government's policy performance. China's capitalists tend to be conservative and status-quo oriented, not likely to serve as agents of democratization. This is a valuable contribution not only to the debates over the prospects for democracy in China but also to understanding the process of democratization around the globe.

Author: Jie Chen, Bruce J. Dickson
ISBN-10: 0674048962
ISBN-13: 9780674048966
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Language: English
Published: 06/15/2010
Pages: 232
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.08lbs
Size: 9.70h x 6.22w x 0.82d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2010
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2010 pg. 188