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Governance and Spatial Environments

 

The reform of China's governance structures since 1978 has changed the management of space.

The restructuring of the urban space economy; changes in governance and the spatial administrative hierarchy; and uneven development and regionalisation are all features of these reform processes.

Researchers in the Centre explore the interactions between villages, townships and metropolitan centres across the full range of geographic locations in China in order to understand how space reflects broader changes in governance patterns.

The Centre has an extensive record of research in political reform and Communist Party history that informs this research theme.

Current projects being undertaken by researchers in the China Research Centre in this area include:

From Uniformity to Pluralism: Intellectual Trends in China since 1949
Researcher: Dr. Chongyi Feng

Supported by a CCK research grant, this project investigates the rise and decline of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought as state ideology of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the emergence of intellectual pluralism. In particular, it seeks to:

  • explore the various ways in which  the state ideology engaged (and, ultimately, repelled) much of the Chinese population from the 1950s to the 1970s;
  • investigate the legacies of three decades of intellectual uniformity for Chinese thought today;
  • explain the current paradox of a profound change in the direction of intellectual pluralism on the one hand and intellectual stagnation (including the persistence of nationalism and elements of communist fundamentalism) on the other.

The significance of the project is twofold. Its primary goal is to shed new light on intellectual and political development in the PRC, the largest remaining communist country, particularly the profound ideological and political implications of reform. However, it will also contribute to the on-going world-wide discussion about the transformation of communist party-states and post-revolutionary societies.

Party-state, Liberalism and  Social  Democracy:  the  debate  on  China's  future
Researcher: Dr. Chongyi Feng

The Chinese communist party-state is in transition. The possibilities range from liberal democracy, through social democracy to new forms of authoritarianism. One key to the future of China lies in the reflections of intellectuals and members of the ruling elite on this transition. This project examines the current debates among Chinese intellectuals, in particular that between 'liberals' and the 'new left', on the nature of Chinese society today and directions for China's future development. In addition to highlighting the theory of practice of liberalism and social democracy in China, and the process and possible future of intellectual and political development in China, the project also addresses the wider discussion of change in transitional post-communist societies more generally. Its primary goal is to shed new light on intellectual and political development in the PRC, particularly the prospect for democratisation. It also contributes the on-going world-wide discussion about the transformation of communist party-states and postrevolutionary societies.

This project is supported by an ARC research grant.

Democrats within the Chinese Communist Party and China's Democratic Future: The Case of Li Shenzhi
Researcher: Dr. Chongyi Feng

Contrary to the view that political suppression, economic success and the rise of nationalism in combination make democracy irrelevant in China, a pro-democracy discourse flourishes. This research explores the impact and potential of democrats within the Chinese Communist Party after the 1989 Tiananmen Incident, with a focus on the emergence of Li Shenzhi as the democratic movement's leading voice. It also compares the contexts and strategies of China's democrats with those in the former Soviet Union, and thus seeks to increase our understanding of general issues in the transformation of communism and the transition to democracy.

The New Rich and the State in China: The social basis of local power
Researchers: Professor David Goodman, Dr. Beatriz Carrillo Garcia and Dr. Minglu Chen

The relationship between the new rich and the state, manifest most clearly at the local level, is a major driver of political change in China. This research project to be carried out in a number of provinces examines the interactions between social, economic and political capital in emerging local power structures to assess the dimensions of recent past and potential future change. In the process it will also assist understanding of class formation in China; and the dynamics of politics and economic development in each specific locality.