Author: Jiejing Wang

Publisher: Springer

ISBN: 978-981-33-6361-8

          978-981-33-6362-5 (eBook)

Book Description:  

Existing theories on urban system development derived from the experiences of Western advanced countries mainly emphasize the importance of geographical factors and market forces. They do not pay much attention to the role of the state because the influence of the state in their countries is relatively low. China is one of the few countries in the world that has an explicit national urban system policy. This book examine the role of the state in China’s urban system development by modelling the effects of the national urban system policy, the Urban Administrative System and urban government capacity. The book found that the ways in which the state regulates urban system development are changing because the state has gradually transformed from a single unitary power into a power matrix during the post-reform period. The political hierarchy that affects the internal power relations of the state is used to understand the role of the state in China’ urban system development. In addition to the national urban system policy and the hukou system, the hierarchical power relations amongst cities and resulting variations in urban government capacities are the keys for unfolding the “black box” of the state in understanding the role of the state in China’s urban system development in the post-reform period.

About The Author:

Dr. Jiejing Wang. He got bachelor and master degrees from Peking University, and got Ph.D from The University of Hong Kong. He is currently an associate professor in School of Public Administration and Policy of Renmin University of China. His research interesting focuses on urbanization, urban system, population migration and urban governance. The author has published more than twenties papers in top journals such as Urban Studies, Environment and Planning A、Population, Space, and Place. He accepted the Li Ka-shing Prize from The University of Hong Kong on behalf of his Ph.D thesis in 2017.