Description
Book SynopsisThis book explores the surprising failure of Chinese telecommunications policy to maintain an orderly market in the face of business and technological innovation, including the Internet, and suggests that a more pluralistic decision-making process, which includes the views of businesses and consumers, would actually strengthen the state's power.
Trade Review"Irene Wu, an official at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission at the time of her writing, eschews the density that usually accompanies policy studies to tell a rich story of the liberalization and modernization of China's communications infrastructure . . . China's telecommunications revolution is a fascinating case study of market transformation, and this book successfully makes what can often be a technical and arcane topic an interesting study of market transition and development." -- Roselyn Hsueh *
Journal of Chinese Political Science *
"Irene S. Wu in this volume provides some clues to the miraculous performance by a comprehensive and balanced account of the uneven development of the telecom market . . . [Readers] can surely find clues from Irene Wu's book as to where to look for explanations for the performance of other Chinese industries and the economy as a whole." -- Huizhong Zhou *
China Review International *
"This is a valuable and timely book for scholars who are interested in the evolving regulatory framework of China's telecommunications sector." * Yu Hong
Journal of Asian Studies *
"Irene Wu has created a study of telecommunications reform in China that will interest anyone studying economic policymaking in the major emerging economies. The book is both comprehensive and insightful, drawing on the author's personal involvement in U.S.-China governmental discussions over telecom for a number of years." -- Peter Cowhey, Dean, School of International Relations and Pacific Studies * UC San Diego *
Table of ContentsContents List of Illustrations Abbreviations = 1: From Iron Fist to Somewhat Invisible Hand 2: China's Telecommunications Development in Historical Context 3: Evolution of the Telecommunications Policymaker: Bargaining Among Interests 4: Running the Gauntlet: Entry of New Firms in China's Telecommunications Service Market 5: Foreign Participation in China's Telecommunications Service Market 6: The Heart of Competition Policy in Telecommunications: Making Interconnection Work 7: Chasing the Consumer: Retail Pricing of Telecommunications in China 8: Triumph of the Consumer? the Growth of Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony and "Little Smart" Personal Handyphone Service 9: Does Freeing the Communications Market Require Freeing Communications? Notes Bibliography Index
