Wealth into Power: The Communist Party's Embrace of China's Private Sector (review)

[ 189 ] policymaker’s library • select books published in 2008 Wealth into Power: The Communist Party’s Embrace of China’s Private Sector Bruce J. Dickson New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008 • 292 pp. This book examines whether economic development is leading to political change in China. main argument Based on years of research and original survey data, this book highlights the Communist Party’s strategy for incorporating China’s capitalists into the political system. The shared interests, personal ties, and common views of the party and private sector are creating a form of “crony communism.” Thus, contrary to a common argument that a rising business class in China would promote democratization, this book finds that China’s private entrepreneurs have instead become partners with the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to promote economic growth while maintaining the political status quo. policy implications • Economic development by itself does not necessarily lead to democracy. The CCP has shown how an effective strategy of co-optation and integration of economic and political elites can perpetuate authoritarian rule even in the midst of rapid economic and social change. • The beneficiaries of economic reform need not support democratization. If China’s capitalists are able to pursue their business interests through patrimonial ties with the state, they are more likely to support the status quo than to seek to change it. Therefore, promoting economic privatization in order to promote democratization in China is not likely by itself to succeed. • Just as economic development does not automatically guarantee democratization, there is also no reason to expect that either trade with China or China’s integration into the international economy will necessarily facilitate political change leading to democracy. • Democratization can occur at all levels of economic development; similarly, authoritarian regimes can survive indefinitely providing they avoid an economic crisis. If the CCP’s combination of economic liberalization and authoritarian rule proves successful, China may become a model for other developing countries. ...