Chinesische Politik

The People’s Republic of China is often classified as a dogmatic and sclerotic authoritarian system, as a special example of socialism and a model sui generis that is different from and opposed to the West. These stereotypical classifications do, however, not stand up to empirical scrutiny. This textbook presents a systematic, theoretical and empirically-based overview of the structures, processes and key ideas of contemporary Chinese politics, while also taking into account the state’s philosophical foundations. It pays special attention to the methods and models used to analyse recent political developments. Apart from a detailed discussion of the latest international political science research on China, this book also includes an inside perspective on the Chinese political system through the formulation of models of legitimate political rule and the PRC’s future development paths in both a national and a global context, for example. In addition, it also sheds light on the ‘new’ dimension of Chinese domestic and foreign politics taking place in cyberspace, which has largely been neglected so far.