Singapore University of Social Sciences

POL211 Government and Politics in China reviews the political and economic development of China from 1949 to the present from the dual perspective of the state and the society. We shall look at how power is structured in the party-state, and how the political and economic system has evolved under various leaders before delving into central-local relations and policy implementation at the subnational levels. Governance challenges in the minority regions of Tibet and Xinjiang are also discussed. Moving from state to society, we shall then survey the forms of political participation and contention through which the Chinese people seek to influence government policy. The course concludes with a reflection on the Chinese political model in view of China’s domestic challenges and its global ascendance.