Focusing on the conflict and coordination between social development and political order in social governance, this book investigates the causes, evolution, and manifestations of such tensions in contemporary China, combining both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

It has always been a complicated issue for social governance in China to maintain a balanced and benign interaction between social development and political order: Strong leadership from the state can foster robust social development, which can itself pose challenges to the existing political order. To approach this paradox, this book first discusses the entanglement of law and politics in China’s social governance, embodied by state legitimacy of the state and its governance. It then examines institutional changes through analyzing the relationship between market mechanisms and planned systems, as well as the petitioning system, a unique political setup in China. By examining arbitrariness in the practice of Mao Zedong’s theory on two types of contradictions, the author uncovers the characteristics and political basis of China’s approach to resolving social conflict.

This title is essential reading for scholars and students studying sociology and political science, especially those interested in social governance in China and contemporary Chinese politics.

Shizheng Feng is Professor and Dean of the School of Sociology and Population Studies at Renmin University of China. His research areas include political sociology, historical sociology, social governance and state-making, and political order in China’s social transformation.