AbstractsEconomics

The dissertation will provide data to support an argument that China is in fact becoming more authoritarian rather than less so. Critically, this is because the benefits of the current economic model have largely been captured by an elite for whom any form of democratisation and liberalisation represents a severe, possibly existential challenge. Further, on the crucial question of whether China even needs to liberalise, the dissertation will argue that there is no compelling evidence that growth will ultimately prove unsustainable in the absence of liberalisation. In sum, liberals in China confront a seemingly ineluctable paradox: slower growth will necessitate more repression, but continued fast growth will underline the success of the present model. Heads or tails, the authoritarians win. Advisors/Committee Members: Kluth, Michael Friederich (advisor).