The Chinese Communist Party in Reform

Contrary to the expectations of many people, China's recent economic growth has not led to the collapse of the Chinese Communist Party. In fact, the Party has recently carried out a peaceful and orderly transition to the so-called fourth generation of leadership, has revitalised itself, and created a new, younger and better trained cadre corps. Despite this successful transformation, there continue to be many problems that the Party will need to overcome if it is to remain in power, including pressures for democratization in both urban and rural areas, widespread corruption, the emergence of new social groups, and increasing dissatisfaction among workers who seem to be losing out in the present transition process.

The Chinese Communist Party in Reform explores the current state of the Chinese Communist Party and the many challenges that it faces. It considers the dynamics of development in China, the Party organization, recruitment and management, and the Party's role in society more widely. It concludes by examining the prospects for the future of the Party, including whether it will continue to be able to accommodate socio-economic changes within China and pressures from abroad, and the likely nature of its evolution. Overall, this book provides a comprehensive assessment of the internal dynamics of the Chinese Communist Party and its role in Chinese society.

Kjeld Erik Brodsgaard is Professor and Director of the Asia Research Centre, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. He is also Editor of The Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies and member of the editorial board of a number of scholarly journals, including The China Quarterly. He is currently engaged in a major research project on party reform and cadre management in China, supported by the Carlsberg Foundation.

Zheng Yongnian is Professor and Head of Research at the China Policy Institute, University of Nottingham. He is also a co-editor of China: An International Journal. He is a recipient of the Social Science Research Council MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. He has extensively studied both China's domestic political economy and its external relations.