China's Age of Abundance
Origins, Ascendance, and Aftermath

Shifting the perspective to rural populations as drivers of global change, Wang Feng reconsiders China's meteoric rise in prosperity.

Feng Wang (Author)

9781009444927, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 4 April 2024

272 pages
22.8 x 15 x 1.5 cm, 0.4 kg

'By shifting attention from commonly used GDP data to consumption data, Wang presents a fresh picture of China's four decades of high-velocity economic growth.' Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs

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.

Preface
1. Surprise
2. Origins
3. Abundance
4. Ascendance
5. Two paths
6. Surplus
7. Aftermath.

Subject Areas: Constitution: government & the state [JPHC]