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"In the last four decades, China's economy and living standards have completely transformed. Wang Feng charts the origins, forces, and consequences of this meteoric rise in prosperity, shifting our perspective toward rural populations as drivers of global change, and anticipating possible headwinds for future growth"--

Between the 1980s and the present day, China has experienced one of the most consequential economic transformations in world history. One-fifth of the Earth's population has left behind a life of scarcity and subsistence for one of abundance and material comfort, while their nation has emerged as a preeminent economic and political power. In a systematic historical and sociological analysis of this unique juncture, Wang Feng charts the origins, forces, and consequences of this meteoric rise in living standards. He shifts the focus away from institutions and policies to offer new perspectives based on consumption among poorer, rural populations as a driver of global economic change. But is this 'Age of Abundance' coming to an end? Anticipating potential headwinds, including an aging population, increasing inequality, and intensifying political control, Wang explores whether this preeminence could be coming to a close.

Chinese homeowner associations (HOAs) are citizen-initiated, self-governing neighborhood organizations that emerged very recently in urban China. HOAs take various legal, political, and social actions to deal with neighborhood issues. However, there are large discrepancies in the effectiveness of these actions. Using data collected from in-depth interviews with leaders of 91 registered HOAs in Beijing, this study investigates the contextual and organizational factors that explain this heterogeneity of outcome. The results show that the factors affecting HOAs' ability to solve the two most prominent types of neighborhood issue—issues involving developers, and issues involving property management companies—are quite different. Issues involving property management companies are more effectively solved by mobilizing organization resources and encouraging resident participation. Solving developer-related issues, however, requires broader legal and political support.

Faction in politics is a long-standing objective phenomenon in human political life. Party has made factions public and legal. Clique is only a kind of small group struggling for private interests. Derived from faction, party is different from faction because party has its own clear objective, well-organized structure and discipline. Without getting rid of minor faction, party has to struggle against factionalism after its coming into being. A proletariat party has also to face the temptation of factionalism and keep politics focused on the benefit of the people in general. The nature of Chinese proletariat party decides there is no space for the development of major factionalism. Chinese culture from ancient times demonstrates that every empire was destroyed from within by factions. In order to create cultural harmony in China and prevent regime destruction, strong factions from within must be avoided. Western political culture analysis shows that an environment developed which was favorable to two and multiple parties. Chinese culture never produced such a condition. Adapted from the source document.

China's population is likely to peak less than 15 years from now, below a maximum of 1.4 billion. After that will come a prolonged, even indefinite, population decline and a period of accelerated aging.

Enthält außerdem: Hvistendahl, Mara: Why China's gender gap persists. - S. 248-249