Market Economics and Political Change : Comparing China and Mexico

Does market liberalization promote democracy? The accepted answer from scholars, pundits, and politicians alike has been yes. However, the contributors to this innovative study of market reforms and political change in Mexico and the People's Republic of China argue that this easy equation is not only empirically uncertain but methodologically flawed. Using comparative contextual analysis, the contributors carefully identify the elective affinities between these two very different polities to reveal key variables that determine how markets will affect democracy, particularly law as the "rudder of democracy" and the role of political culture in civil society. These essays review current theoretical debates, explore the role of regional context, and offer case studies of legal culture and civil society in Mexico and China to demonstrate the complexity of the relationship between market and democracy and the implications for other transitional polities such as Russia and for U.S. foreign policy. Designed for classroom use, this volume adds a focused comparative perspective for courses on Chinese, and Latin American politics; development; and contemporary history. Market Liberalization And Democratization : The Case For Comparative Contextual Analysis / Timothy Cheek And Juan D. Lindau -- Market Economics And Political Change : A Historical And Theoretical Examination / Jorge I. Domínguez -- Market-oriented Reforms And National Development In Latin America / Robert A. Packenham -- Socialist Marketization And East Asian Industrial Structure : Locating Civil Society In China / Gaye Christoffersen -- Mexico : Economic Liberalism In An Authoritarian Polity / Lorenzo Meyer -- Economic And Legal Reform In China : Whither Civil Society And Democratization? / Pitman B. Potter -- Civil Society And Democratization In Mexico / Juan D. Lindau -- From Market To Democracy In China : Gaps In The Civil Society Model / Timothy Cheek -- Constructive Engagement And Economic Sanctions : The Debate Over Intervention For Democracy / David Hendrickson -- Market Liberalization And Democratic Politics : Perspectives From The Russian Experience / David D. Finley. Edited By Juan D. Lindau And Timothy Cheek. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 301-327) And Index. These essays review current theoretical debates, explore the role of regional context, and offer case studies of legal culture and civil society in Mexico and China to demonstrate the complexity of the relationship between market and democracy and the implications for other transitional polities such as Russia and for U.S. foreign policy. Designed for classroom use, this volume adds a focused comparative perspective for courses on Chinese, Asian-Pacific, and Latin American politics, development, and contemporary history This study of market reforms and political change in Mexico and China argues that the equation that market liberalisation promotes democracy is not only empirically uncertain but methodologically flawed. It identifies the elective affinities between the two polities to reveal key variables that determine how markets will affect democracy.