The Pinch Runner Memorandum

The growing disconnect between China's market-oriented economy with its emerging civil society, and the brittle, anachronistic, and authoritarian state has given rise to intense discussion and debate about political reform, not only by Western observers, but also among Chinese intellectuals. While some expect China's political reform to lead to democratization, others have proposed to strengthen the institution of single-party rule and provide it with a solid legal base. This book brings the ongoing debate to life and explores the options for political reform. Offering the perspectives of both Western and Chinese scholars, it presents the controversial argument for building a consultative rule of law regime as an alternative to liberal democracy, provides several critiques of this thesis, and then tests the thesis through empirical studies on the development of the rule of law in China.

Biography

Michiko Niikuni Wilson was born and raised in Japan, and studied in the United States for her B.A. in English, and received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She teaches Japanese language, literature, and culture at the University of Virginia. Her interests cover a wide range of topics, including feminist literary criticism and cross-cultural communications. She has written many articles on modern Japanese literature, and is the author of The Marginal World of ?e Kenzaburo: A Study in Themes and Techniques (M.E. Sharpe, 1986) >Michael K. Wilson graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where he majored in Asian Studies with an area concentration on Japan and China and also pursued graduate study in Comparative Literature and Education. Besides modern Japanese and Chinese literatures and cultures, his interests range from Latin American literature to environmental issues. He is an information specialist at the University of Virginia