China's New Political Economy: The Giant Awakes (review)

Reviews 587 Susumu Yabuki. China's New Political Economy: The GiantAwakes. Translated by Stephen Harner. Boulder, San Francisco, and Oxford: Westview Press, 1995. xxxii, 320 pp. Hardcover $69.00. Paperback $23.95. Japanese scholarship on China has long been known for its in-depth discussion based on solid empirical data. Although only a limited number ofworks by Japanese scholars on China have been translated into English, scholars in the U.S. have benefited immensely from them. The volume under review is yet another one ofthese works that offers some fresh perspectives and important data. In it, one can find not only an unusually large number of tables, charts, and figures on China's socioeconomic development, but also a firsthand look at how a Japanese sinologist analyzes Chinese affairs. The major contribution ofthis book is its usefulness as a reference on some crucial developmental trends since the founding of the People's Republic, especially since the beginning of the reforms of the late 1970s. The author has skillfully converted many statistical data into scores of graphics, charts, tables, and figures that are relatively easy to understand even for the nonacademician. For this reason the book will perhaps find its largest audience among businessmen, diplomats, policymakers, professional China watchers, and others who are concerned with contemporary Chinese affairs. Another strength of this volume is the comprehensiveness ofthe subjects treated. From population to pollution, from per capita GNP to wage reform, this data-rich book offers a very broad-range ofinformation on China. Such an effort by an economist will obviously be appreciated by anyone who is interested in data other than that which is purely economic. Yet, in general, I was still disappointed when I read this book, because I expected much more from it. From the title, one may well have the expectation that this is an analytical volume on the political economy ofcontemporary China. It is not. As the author points out in the preface, it is mainly intended to answer questions of"how" and "what" based on reviews ofdata; a closer look reveals that it is an illustration ofeconomic development in China through the use ofcharts and tables to consolidate and condense data (mainly) from the Statistical Yearbook ofChina. Leafing through the pages, one cannot but notice that the sources of information are actually very limited in terms ofboth scope and depth. The author does rely heavily on the Statistical Yearbook ofChina, especially the 1991 and 1993 editions. This inevitably limits the quality and timeliness ofthe data included in© 1995 by University me book. Even though it was published in 1995, most ofthe data and informaofHawai ?PressUQn^thin are pre.,992 Given a newround ofreform measures thathavebeen put in place since 1992, there is a considerable gap that needs to be filled. For example , with the reform ofthe taxation and fiscal systems set in motion in early 588 China Review International: Vol. 2, No. 2, Fall 1995 1994, the distribution of revenues between the center and localities, discussed in chapter 1 1 (pp. 1 11-123), has been undergoing some significant changes. In another instance, in his discussion of changing cadre ranks, a table of central government and Party committee staffing is provided (p. 74), but it is based on 1987 figures. Many ministries have since been reorganized or eliminated, and staffing has changed dramatically. The usefulness ofthe data provided is thus seriously in question. The wide range of subjects treated notwithstanding, there are also some important issues left unaddressed by the author. Some of these are related to the currentness of the data; others are newly emergent issues that require discussion. For instance, the phenomenon ofofficial profiteering or guandao is given much attention (pp. 44, 62, 129-131). Yet with the expansion ofthe market, guandao has become less a problem than other more pervasive forms of official corruption or illicit practices, such as extortion by state agencies that are making use ofnew regulatory powers. On the other hand, issues concerning peasants and agriculture are given little attention. Some new developments in recent years involving the taxation and revenue structure, the banking system, and investment control mechanisms may also render some ofthe data and analysis outdated. Another important issue...