Book review: 9/11 ten years after: perspectives and problems

Ten years on, what have been the principal impacts of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the external policies and international outlooks of the world’s major powers? This book investigates a range of international responses to the events of 9/11, to evaluate their consistency over time; to analyse their long-term significance and to consider both their implications for the international security agenda and the prospects for international cooperation in addressing the challenges posed. Jude Howell believes the breadth of the book will ensure that it provides a useful source for researchers and students in the fields of security studies and international relations

Is being more like China the answer for Britain? – Jude Howell

At last week’s Conservative Party conference, the Secretary for Health, Jeremy Hunt, urged the British population to “be prepared to work hard in a way that Asian economies are prepared to work hard”. His indirect reference to China must surely set alarm bells ringing amongst those who are familiar with the tale of “hard work” in China for the less well-off

Can the Chinese Communist Party Survive? The limits of adaptation limits

Professor of International Development Jude Howell talks about her recent research into governance in China in this post written for the LSE International Development blog, based on her article on the same subject published in Journal of Social Policy in January

Adaptation under scrutiny: peering through the lens of community governance in China

This paper examines processes of adaptive governance and authoritarian resilience through the lens of community governance, bringing together hitherto unrelated fields of study. It argues first that adaptation has unintended consequences that can threaten stability but do not necessarily cause regime crisis. Second, it contends that the structural fault-lines of institutionalised categorical inequality, marketisation, and professionalization, along with the pathologies of Leninist authoritarianism, undermine adaptive community governance. The paper draws on qualitative research in two neighbourhoods of Shanghai

Now Osama bin Laden is no more, is it time to reflect on the delinking of aid?

So Osama bin Laden is now dead. After months of observing his hide-out in Abbottabad, 40 miles north of Islamabad, Pakistan, American Special Forces launched a clandestine operation to capture or kill Bin Laden. Within forty minutes it was all over and done with. His body was whisked swiftly away into the skies and ceremoniously dropped into the ocean. The last thing the Americans wanted was for his grave to become a shrine for al-Qaeda sympathisers. American politicians and the American public rejoiced; their number one enemy was now dealt with. Americans could feel safer. However, as President Obama cautioned, this was not the end of al-Qaeda, nor the end of international terrorism. In his words, “…his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us”. There were still people out there who presented a threat to the American way of life. So the American people must continue to `remain vigilant at home and abroad’

Obama changes rhetoric but the ‘war on terror’ continues to impact civil society

Despite a change in rhetoric, the legislation, practices, policies and structures introduced since 9/11 still inhibit society’s ability to practise democrac

All-China Federation of Trades Unions beyond reform?: the slow march of direct elections

Since the mid-1990s trade union leaders in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shandong and other coastal provinces have been quietly introducing direct elections for grassroots trade union cadres, in order to nurture a stratum of grassroots trade union cadres who prioritize workers’ interests. Yet these elections have not been generalized across the country, been institutionalized through legislation or drawn droves of international observers in the way that village elections did in the 1980s and 1990s. What might have promised to be China’s ‘‘second silent revolution’’ has failed to take off. This article explores the political, structural and institutional reasons behind the piecemeal and slow spread of direct basic union elections in China. In doing so it analyses the parameters constraining the reform of the All-China Federation of Trades Unions in the direction of a more effective, worker-oriented organization

Reassessing the Hu—Wen era: a golden age for social policy

The Hu—Wen era has been characterized as a “lost decade” for economic and political reform, but a “golden era” in terms of economic growth and political stability. Yet, relatively little attention has been paid to the social policies introduced during Hu and Wen’s decade in power. These important policies, however, abolished agricultural taxes, extended health insurance, pensions and income support to all rural as well as urban residents, and built a civic welfare infrastructure to address migrants’ grievances. These policies, some of which were developed under the preceding Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji leadership, were introduced for a complex mix of reasons. Their aim was not only to reduce inequalities but also to stimulate domestic consumption and sustain economic growth, offset the effects of China’s entry to the WTO and the global recession of 2008, and maintain social stability. They were the product of domestic bureaucratic politics and experimentation. They were also strongly influenced by China’s integration into the international economy, as well as by international governmental and non-governmental organizations and the ideas they introduced into China’s domestic policy networks. Although Hu—Wen era social policy reforms had only limited effects on reducing income inequality and involved complex politics, they did establish for the first time entitlements to social security and safety nets for all China’s population

Village elections in China: recent prospects, new challenges

RésuméL'introduction progressive d'élections villageoises en Chine a retenu toute l'attention des politiques, chercheurs et autres analystes, en Chine comme à l'étranger. Or ce processus a conduit à une diminution de la représentation des femmes au sein des comités villageois. Après avoir décrit le déroulement des élections villageoises, l'auteur évoque les controverses qu'a fait naître l'idée de compétition, les problèmes qui en ont résulté et la manière dont ces élections ont été traitées dans la littérature. Puis elle s'intéresse à la répartition hommes/femmes dans les comités villageois tout en resituant cette question dans le contexte plus général de la participation des femmes à la vie politique chinoise. Sont ensuite examinés les principaux facteurs qui expliquent la faible représentation des femmes dans ces comités élus, et ce à partir d'enquêtes menées dans les provinces du Hunan et du Shandong. Pour finir, sont explorées quelques-unes des mesures qui, à l'avenir, pourraient permettre d'accroître cette représentation.AbstractThe gradual introduction of village elections across China has drawn considerable attention from policy-makers, scholars and analysts both within China and abroad. These elections have led to a decline in the representation of women on village committees. The gender aspects of this trend are examined. An overview of this process discusses the controversies surrounding the idea of competitive elections, the issues that have arisen, and the way these elections have been treated in the literature. The gender composition of village committees is placed in the broader context of women's participation in Chinese politics. Findings from fieldwork carried out in Hunan and Shandong provinces are used to shade light on the factors limiting women's participation. Some factors that might improve women's involvement in politics are brought under consideration

Government contracting services to social organisations in China: a review of research for future enquiry

Contracting of social services has been adopted in China as an innovation in welfare provision. This article reviews the emerging literature on contracting of services to social organisations in China in order to identify lines of further enquiry. It reviews research published in the English and Chinese languages up to 2018. We identify three distinct narratives: public sector reform, improvement of welfare service quality and capacity, and transformation of state-society relations. We contrast the identified narratives with the empirical evidence produced for the Chinese case. We demonstrate that, despite contradictory empirical evidence, the premise that contracting improves public sector efficiency and quality of services predominates. The narrative that contracting transforms state-society relations is contested. This article contributes to the understanding of how contracting of services is justified in theory and practice, and proposes an agenda for future social policy research on contracting of services to social organisations in China