Population in China

China is home to a fifth of the world�s inhabitants. For the last several decades, this huge population has been in flux: fertility has fallen sharply, mortality has declined, and massive rural-to-urban migration is taking place. The state has played a direct role in these changes, seeing population control as an important part of its intention to modernize the country.

In this insightful new work, Nancy E. Riley argues that China�s population policies and outcomes are not simply imposed by...