Political civilization and modernization in China : the political context of China's transformation / edited by Yang Zhong, Shiping Hua.

Papers delivered at the international conference "Political Civilization and Modernization in China : the Political Context of China's Transformation," held in Beijing on June 11-12, 2004.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The essence of promoting "political civilization" in China : institution building / Weixing Chen -- Corruption and institution-building in transitional China / Yufan Hao -- From conflicts to covergence : modernity and the changing Chinese political culture / Baogang Guo -- Democratic values among Chinese peasantry : an empirical study / Yang Zhong -- Democracy and the governing party : a theoretical perspective / Brantly Womack -- Self-reform within authoritarian regimes : reallocations of power in contemporary China / Sophie Richardson -- Political and practical obstacles to reform of the judiciary and the establishment of a rule of law in China / Jean-Pierre Cabestan -- Public participation and the democratization of Chinese governance / Jame P. Horsley -- Rights consciousness, economic interests, and the 2003 district-level people's congress elections in China : middle-class motivations and democratic implications / Xinsong Wang -- The role of media in democratization : origins, characteristics, and implications of China's public forum TV programs / Junhao Hong.

"This volume is the first comprehensive study of China's "political civilization" since the term was introduced by then Party Secretary Jiang Zemin in 2002. Selected among about 200 papers delivered at an international conference in Beijing in 2004, this collection of ten essays discusses the relations between "political civilization" and political reform in China from the different perspectives of institution building, political culture, political theory, intra-party democracy, political participation, judiciary reform, legislative reform, and media reform. While the contributors are aware of the enormous difficulties China faces in reforming its political system and political culture, most are optimistic about the prospect of reform. Through theoretical discussions, institutional analysis and other empirical methods, prominent scholars, such as Brandy Womack, Weixing Chen, Yufan Hao and Jean-Pierre Cabestan, contribute to our understanding of Chinese politics in unique ways."--BOOK JACKET.