The Dictator's Dilemma: The Chinese Communist Party's Strategy for SurvivalOxford University Press, 2016 M05 16 - 256 pages Many observers predicted the collapse of the Chinese Communist Party following the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, and again following the serial collapse of communist regimes behind the Iron Curtain. Their prediction, however, never proved true. Despite minor setbacks, China has experienced explosive economic growth and relative political stability ever since 1989. In The Dictator's Dilemma, eminent China scholar Bruce Dickson provides a comprehensive explanation for regime's continued survival and prosperity. Dickson contends that the popular media narrative of the party's impending implosion ignores some basic facts. The regime's policies may generate resentment and protest, but the CCP still enjoys a surprisingly high level of popular support. Nor is the party is not cut off from the people it governs. It consults with a wide range of specialists, stakeholders, and members of the general public in a selective yet extensive manner. Further, it tolerates and even encourages a growing and diverse civil society, even while restricting access to it. Today, the majority of Chinese people see the regime as increasingly democratic even though it does not allow political competition and its leaders are not accountable to the electorate. In short, while the Chinese people may prefer change, they prefer that it occurs within the existing political framework. In reaching this conclusion, Dickson draws upon original public opinion surveys, interviews, and published materials to explain why there is so much popular support for the regime. This basic stability is a familiar story to China specialists, but not to those whose knowledge of contemporary China is limited to the popular media. The Dictator's Dilemma, an engaging synthesis of how the CCP rules and its future prospects, will enlighten both audiences, and will be essential for anyone interested in understanding China's increasing importance in world politics. |
From inside the book
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Page 2
... civil society, even while restricting which interests can organize and which groups can operate; and a regime that is seen as increasingly democratic by the majority of its people, even though it does not allow political competition and ...
... civil society, even while restricting which interests can organize and which groups can operate; and a regime that is seen as increasingly democratic by the majority of its people, even though it does not allow political competition and ...
Page 10
... civil society. At the same time, local party and government leaders encourage the activities of some nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in order to improve the provision of public goods, while still suppressing other civil society ...
... civil society. At the same time, local party and government leaders encourage the activities of some nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in order to improve the provision of public goods, while still suppressing other civil society ...
Page 16
... civil society in China. The Party certainly does repress some civil society groups, but it tolerates and promotes others. The amount of repression and toleration varies in two ways: Some periods of time are more conducive to civil society ...
... civil society in China. The Party certainly does repress some civil society groups, but it tolerates and promotes others. The amount of repression and toleration varies in two ways: Some periods of time are more conducive to civil society ...
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... society but still has a communist government.37 Xi Chen described the interactions between state and society as ... Civil Society under Authoritarianism: The China Model (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014); Harry Harding ...
... society but still has a communist government.37 Xi Chen described the interactions between state and society as ... Civil Society under Authoritarianism: The China Model (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014); Harry Harding ...
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Contents
1 | |
2 The Heavy Hand of the State | 31 |
3 Mass Line for Modern Times | 96 |
4 Serving the People | 164 |
5 Generating Support | 214 |
6 Defining Democracy | 262 |
7 Will the Party Survive? | 301 |
Appendices | 323 |
Bibliography | 327 |
Index | 341 |
Other editions - View all
The Dictator's Dilemma: The Chinese Communist Party's Strategy for Survival Bruce Dickson Limited preview - 2016 |
The Dictator's Dilemma: The Chinese Communist Party's Strategy for Survival Bruce J. Dickson No preview available - 2018 |
Common terms and phrases
accessed January 27 authoritarian authoritarian regimes Beijing Cambridge University Press campaign CCP’s censorship central challenge China China New York China’s leaders Chinese government Chinese political Chongqing cities civil society civil society groups Communist Confucian Contemporary China corruption countries critical Cultural Revolution Dalai Lama debate democracy in China democratic Deng Xiaoping economic growth economic reforms elections elites focus group foreign freedoms Fuping goals government officials government’s Guangzhou healthcare Hu Jintao hukou improve income institutions Internet legitimacy less level of democracy levels of regime Li Yapeng Maoist mass line ment migrants NGOs one-child policy organizations participants Party and government Party members Party’s survival strategy people’s congress percent political reforms Political Support Survey political system popular support promoting protests public opinion regime change regime support repression respondents social spending state’s Tibet Tibetans tion urban Uyghurs Xi Jinping Xinjiang