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This contribution examines Arrighi's effort in Adam Smith in Beijing to understand the trajectory of China's political economy and the effects of that trajectory on the current reforms and changes in China. This article discusses these reforms from the perspective of China's 'internal' dynamics and suggests that Arrighi's argument has been developed without proper reference to China's complex realities. As an alternative, the contribution proposes a research-agenda that could better account for these realities. Adapted from the source document.

AbstractThis contribution examines Arrighi's effort in Adam Smith in Beijing to understand the trajectory of China's political economy and the effects of that trajectory on the current reforms and changes in China. This article discusses these reforms from the perspective of China's 'internal' dynamics and suggests that Arrighi's argument has been developed without proper reference to China's complex realities. As an alternative, the contribution proposes a research-agenda that could better account for these realities.

How has the joint family structure - one of the basic institutions of rural organisation in China - been used by families in the transition from rural to urban reality since the early 1980s? During the 1960s and 1970s, the rural people's communes consolidated the role of patrilocal marriage patterns and the shared inheritance and responsibilities of brothers (both hallmarks of the joint family), while in the 1980s and 1990s, the joint family was used to maximise the economic interests of the new entrepreneurial groups in rural China. However, the transition to urban status and life gradually changed the role of sisters among siblings, as existing social patterns gradually eroded and changed meaning. This contribution explores how these macro-level institutional transitions manifest themselves in the social practice and institutional arrangements of a family case study (J Contemp China/GIGA)

Christiansen reviews A BITTER REVOLUTION: China's Struggle with the Modern World by Rana Mitter.

Yang Zhong's excellent book about Local Government and Politics in China gives a succinct and convincing account of the frameworks for local governance in the PRC today. The organization, functioning, powers and evolution of local government in China are notoriously difficult to grasp due to the many intersecting layers and lines of authority, the diversity of local conditions, and the shorthand language used by administrators to refer to local government. Although there is a growing literature on local government in contemporary China, we have, until now, lacked a comprehensive overview in English.For almost a decade Yang Zhong has observed the behaviour of local government in a small number of places in China, and is thus able to base his account on actual practice. The style is refreshingly simple and easy to follow, the administrative jargon is well explained, and the structure of the presentation is lucid. The core aspects of local governance are covered, with a sound focus on counties, townships and towns, and a separate chapter dealing with village politics. Local authorities in cities are not covered; this omission is unfortunate, but understandable from the point of view of keeping the book within manageable limits.