Description
Book SynopsisThe rise of China is the single most important economic and geopolitical development, and this book provides a concise, easy-to-read guide to how China works, where it's going, and what it means for the rest of the world.
Trade Review(This) Updated second edition explains how China's economy rose to its position today and where it might be headed in the coming years, highlighting China's increased relevance to the world since 2016. * Journal of Economic Literature *
If the notion of a middle way sounds intuitively appealing, Arthur Kroeber's book brings rigour to the debate to show why it is also the most likely outcome. A longtime China analyst now managing an independent research firm, he launches an assault, albeit courteously worded, on conventional wisdom from the two opposing camps. What emerges is a nuanced take on an economy facing serious challenges, ones that do not spell its collapse but could prove intractable all the same. * The Economist *
Thankfully Arthur Kroeber has [condensed] many years of studying and writing about the Chinese economy into a single-volume portrait accessible to the generalist. Aside from the clear descriptive prose and judicious organisation this book achieves two things. On the one hand it lays out a detailed framework of how China works that will be recognisable to experts, and accessible to newcomers, breaking the whole into a series of digestible parts. On the other hand it offers a layer of measured assessment aimed at addressing the full range of pressing issues affecting China. * Forbes *
Few have watched the development of the Chinese economy as closely as Arthur Kroeber. [China's Economy] is a wide-ranging and authoritative primer on the history and development of China's unique blend of decentralized economic authoritarianism. * Quartz *
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. Why China Matters 2. Population, Geography, and History 3. China's Political Economy 4. Agriculture, Land, and the Rural Economy 5. Industry, Exports, and Technology 6. Urbanization and Infrastructure 7. The Enterprise System 8. The Government Finance System 9. The Financial System 10. Energy and the Environment 11. Demographics and the Labor Market 12. The Emerging Consumer Economy 13. The Social Compact 14. Changing the Growth Model 15. China and the World: Is Conflict Inevitable? For Further Reading Notes Index