Marketization and Democracy in China

Since China began an era of market reform three decades ago, many Westerners believed that, political liberalization and, eventually, democracy would follow. However, contrary to Western expectations, China remains an authoritarian country and the communist party is still in power, even though the country has witnessed rapid economic growth and its people have become richer.

In Marketization and Democracy in China, Jianjun Zhang questions whether China’s market reforms have created favorable...