LRCCS Noon Lecture Series | Bureaucrats, Business, and the Manipulating of Capitalism in China

Although China is a global manufacturing titan, the "made in China" model has begun to wane. Starting in the 2000s, China shifted from attracting foreign investment to promoting domestic firms. This shift led city bureaucrats to compete for funding and tax breaks to benefit their business clients. While bureaucrats in some cities successfully motivated local businesses to upgrade, others deprived businesses of their developmental space. With 18 months of in-depth interviews, original surveys, and quantitative data, Professor Chen argues that this regional variation is rooted in how foreign firms strengthened or weakened vested interest coalitions and the historical patterns of local capitalism. She advances a new theory to explain the implementation of economic policies in China and other emerging economies that comprise the new "globalized" generation.

Ling Chen is Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. Previously, she was a Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University and Rajawali Fellow at the Ash Center of the Harvard Kennedy School. Her research interests lie in comparative politics and political economy, especially the political origins of economic policies and government-business relations in China. Her works have appeared in multiple peer-reviewed journals. She is the author of "Manipulating Globalization: The Influence of Bureaucrats on Business in China" (Stanford University Press, 2018). Chen was recognized as the Diversity Scholar by the University of Michigan. Her research has received support from institutions such as the Social Science Research Council, Andrew Mellon Foundation, Institute for Humane Studies and Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation.

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this event, please reach out to us at least 2 weeks in advance of this event. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. Email us at chinese.studies@umich.edu.