Description

This paper focuses on the Chinese party-state’s two distinct responses to social unrest, ferment and conflicts under the Hu Jintao leadership, namely, stability maintenances (weiwen) and social management. It will explore the evolution from the first approach to the second and discuss the features, paradoxes, impact and implications of these two divergent approaches. Social management as it is articulated by the officials implies the state’s resumption of greater responsibility for public welfare and its resolve in addressing the issues of bureaucratic interests and the elite exploitation of China’s riches. This notion also involves the “adding of sociology to the art of governance,” or the promotion of inclusive development by popular participation. What are the promises and limitations of such an approach under a single-party state? The issue is whether the party-state will be capable of accommodating the new social forces generated by rapid and intense modernization.

Alfred L. Chan is professor and chair of political science at Huron University College, Western University. An alumnus of the University of Toronto, he has maintained his affiliation with the university (and the Asian Institute) since graduation. Current research projects include one book on Hu Jintao and China in the 21th Century, and another one on Chinese political recruitment and succession.