Working with China to Promote Democracy
China represents an uncomfortable thorn in U.S. efforts to promote democracy around the world. While some projects have been successful, a large gap exists between the increasing U.S. funding in China and its "limited impact." Moreover, U.S. democracy promotion in China has contributed to strategic distrust between China and the United States; Beijing perceives it as a strategic move to destabilize the rise of China and sabotage the Communist Party's leadership. At the same time, China's growing power while maintaining one-party rule and rejecting democratic change generates fear and distrust among many Americans.
Deliberative Democracy in an Unlikely Place: Deliberative Polling in China
Talk of democratic reform sometimes focuses on talk. The aspiration of ‘deliberative democracy’ is for the mass public to influence policy making through public discussion. The common presumption is that this is an advanced version of democracy, possible only in established democracies. Even there, there are doubts. Some contend that ordinary citizens cannot deal with complex policy issues, others that their deliberations will be distorted by gender or class inequalities, and yet others that they will be ineluctably polarizing. In less fully democratic societies like China’s, the prospects may seem slimmer.
Rural democracy in China
Introduction PART I: DIMENSIONS OF VILLAGE DEMOCRACY Development of Democratic Procedures Village Citizenship Competitiveness of Village Elections Political Participation and Voting Behavior Village Representative Assembly PART II: THE LIMITS OF VILLAGE DEMOCRACY Village Elections and Village Power Structure Women and Village Elections PART III: THE SHAPE OF VILLAGE DEMOCRACY Township Authorities and Village Elections Political Economy of Village Democracy Kinship and Village Elections PART IV: PROSPECTS OF CHINESE DEMOCRATIZATION From Village to Township Elections Conclusions