Democracy in China: The Coming Crisis

Four decades of reform fostered a democratic mentality in China. Now citizens are waiting for the government to catch up. Jiwei Ci argues that the tensions between a largely democratic society and an undemocratic political system will trigger a crisis of legitimacy, compelling the Communist Party to become agents of democratic change—or collapse.

Table of Contents:
Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Preface Introduction: A Prudential Approach to Democracy Part One. The Legitimation Crisis 1. Legitimacy and Performance 2. The Question of Regime Perpetuation Part Two. The Democratic Challenge 3. The Case for Democracy 4. Democracy and the Self-Protection of Society 5. Contradictions and Arrested Transitions 6. Democratic Preparation Part Three. The International and Hong Kong Dimensions 7. Democracy at Home and Legitimacy around the World 8. Two Systems, One Democratic Future Concluding Reflections Notes Index

Review :
Jiwei Ci's account of the prospects of Chinese democracy is stimulating, deeply researched, and humanely argued. A passionate argument in favor of a more democratic China, it engages seriously with the question of what a Chinese, rather than abstract, democracy might look like, making original and nuanced arguments about how a party-state might genuinely pluralize. His reflections on Hong Kong are particularly thoughtful in light of the current turmoil. A powerful contribution to one of the most acute debates in geopolitics today. -- Rana Mitter, author of Forgotten Ally A complex, fascinating book that will have a major impact not only for readers interested in China, but also for anyone working on authoritarian transitions and democratic theory. I find Ci's prudential rather than normative argument on the need for democracy in China persuasive, if one thinks in terms of the Chinese Communist Party moving in a more democratic direction. -- Tony Saich, author of Governance and Politics of China Jiwei Ci's ambitious book is intended as a practical political argument, addressed as a citizen of China to the incumbent leadership of its governing Communist Party. It is a work of intense seriousness, real intellectual scruple, and, under current circumstances, great political courage. -- John Dunn, author of Breaking Democracy's Spell Ci offers shrewd insights into the contradictions in the party's ideology, the mentality of China's middle class, and the various ways the party sustains its legitimacy. -- Andrew J. Nathan Foreign Affairs An elaborate but cogent argument about how the CCP will only overcome its illegitimacy, along with other tears in the national fabric, by choosing to usher in political democracy. -- Martin Witte Asian Review of Books A remarkably consistent, multifaceted, and evenhanded analysis of China's socioeconomic, cultural, and political changes affecting its democratic future with a good combination of rigorous reasoning and brilliant speculation...It will surely stimulate our further deliberation and reflection on this important subject and enrich our understanding of China's democratic development and its significance to the world. -- Gang Lin China Review International [A] tour de force on democracy and political order...A fantastically engaging read...[An] impressive book...Ci's intellectual contributions are of great value to our understandings of China's political development. -- Robert Dayley Pacific Affairs A strong argument to let China democratize for its own reasons and at its own chosen pace...Offers a new angle to observe China's way to democratization and assures us all that China's democratization will reflect its own characteristics. -- Xiaoxiao Li Chinese Historical Studies