Incentivized Development in China
Leaders, Governance, and Growth in China's Counties

County-level fieldwork and unique data demonstrate how leadership and career incentives explain regional variation in China's economic development.

David J. Bulman (Author)

9781107166295, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 October 2016

214 pages, 33 b/w illus. 3 maps 24 tables
23.5 x 15.7 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

China's economy, as a whole, has developed rapidly over the past 35 years, and yet its richest county is over 100 times richer in per capita terms than its poorest county. To explain this vast variation in development, David J. Bulman investigates the political foundations of local economic growth in China, focusing on the institutional and economic roles of county-level leaders and the career incentives that shape their behaviour. Through a close examination of six counties complemented by unique nation-wide data, he presents and explores two related questions: what is the role of County Party Secretaries in determining local governance and growth outcomes? And why do County Party Secretaries emphasize particular developmental priorities? Suitable for scholars of political economy, development economics, and comparative politics, this original study analyzes the relationship between political institutions, local governance, and leadership roles within Chinese government to explain the growing divergence in economic development between counties.

List of tables
List of figures
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. Understanding China's county-level economic growth
3. Governance for growth: investment attraction and institutional development
4. First in command: leadership roles for county development
5. Paths to promotion: the inconsistent importance of economic performance
6. Ignoring growth: the institutional and economic costs of maintaining stability
7. Conclusion: a new political economy of uneven regional development
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Index
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Political economy [KCP], Development economics & emerging economies [KCM], Economics [KC], Economics, finance, business & management [K], Regional government [JPR], Comparative politics [JPB], Politics & government [JP], Society & social sciences [J]