Economic Reforms and Political Reform Attempts in China, 1979-1989 (Europe-Asia-Pacific Studies in Economy and Technology)

This book gives an authentic picture of the most important events during the 11 years of Chinese economic reforms and and political reform attempts. It consists of two parts. In the first one - relying on original Chinese sources and direct informations - the author reviews and analyses the main characteristics of the Chinese reforms and reform attempts, the debates within the Chinese party and government leadership about the principial questions of key importance relating to reform and opening policy, which led to the repeated dismissal - three times during the period examined - of the first man of the party hierarchy. In the second part, based on sources published in the Chinese economic and political literature, the fundamental theoretical and practical questions of the Chinese economic and political reforms are discussed in an easily intelligible way and in a critical spirit. The main merits of the book are its complexity and its interdisciplinary approach. Beyond the problems of Chinese economic and political reforms, the reader may also become acquainted with the general problems and major pitfalls of economic and political reform experiments of former socialist countries in Eastern Europe.