On Shifting Foundations: state rescaling, policy experimentation and path-dependency in post-1949 China, by Dr Kean Fan Lim, is the newest addition to the RGS-IBG book series.
The culmination of a decade-long research journey, the book examines socioeconomic regulation in China. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, On Shifting Foundations provides a comparative study of two city regions of nationally strategic policy experimentation - the Pearl River Delta and Changqing. Using new materials on state formation in China’s development, including archival materials from Chinese literature and interviews with planners and policymakers, the book argues that the downscaling of governance to city-regional levels since the 1980s has not been a linear process. In fact the designation of the experimental sites is in itself highly politicised and is the outcome of competitive regional lobbying.
The book aims to give readers an insight into the targeted institutional change occurring across China, as well as how and why these changes connect to regulation established between 1949 and 1978 during the Mao era. The book challenges readers to consider how experimental initiatives contribute to the ‘national strategy’ of Chinese development, and offers insights for understanding the Chinese state’s engagement with the global system of capitalism.
Neil Brenner, Professor of Urban Theory, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, said:
“This systematically researched, lucidly argued book is an essential resource for anyone concerned to understand the contemporary urban condition, whether in China or elsewhere.”
On Shifting Foundations is available now from the Wiley website.
Society Fellows and members receive up to a 35% discount on titles in the RGS-IBG book series when ordering through Wiley. Log in to our website to access your discount code and simply enter it at the checkout on the Wiley website.
Watch Dr Kean Fan Lim talk more about his book below.