Dec 23, 2014
China's management of urbanization is an under-appreciated factor
in the regime's longevity. The Chinese Communist Party fears the
emergence of unequal megacities with their attendant slums and
social unrest, as has occurred in many cities around the world,
because such cities might threaten the survival of the regime. To
combat the threat, many regimes, including China's, adopt policies
that favor cities. Cities and Stability shows this "urban bias" to
be a Faustian bargain: cities may be stabilized for a time, but the
massive in-migration from the countryside that results can generate
the conditions for political unrest.
Dr. Jeremy Wallace discussed his new book Cities and Stability at a
National Committee public program on December 17, 2014. Dr. Wallace
is an assistant professor of political science at The Ohio State
University. His research focuses on authoritarian regime survival
and how such regimes—particularly China’s—grapple with
threats.
The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations is the leading
nonprofit nonpartisan organization that encourages understanding of
China and the United States among citizens of both
countries.