China's gilded age : the paradox of economic boom and vast corruption /

"Why has China grown so fast for so long despite vast corruption? In China's Gilded Age, Yuen Yuen Ang argues that not all types of corruption hurt growth, nor do they cause the same kind of harm. Ang unbundles corruption into four varieties: petty theft, grand theft, speed money, and acce...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ang, Yuen Yuen, 1979- (Author)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Description
Summary:"Why has China grown so fast for so long despite vast corruption? In China's Gilded Age, Yuen Yuen Ang argues that not all types of corruption hurt growth, nor do they cause the same kind of harm. Ang unbundles corruption into four varieties: petty theft, grand theft, speed money, and access money. While the first three types impede growth, access money--elite exchanges of power and profit--cuts both ways: it stimulates investment and growth but produces serious risks for the economy and political system. Since market opening, corruption in China has evolved toward access money. Using a range of data sources, the author explains the evolution of Chinese corruption, how it differs from the West and other developing countries, and how Xi's anticorruption campaign could affect growth and governance. In this formidable yet accessible book, Ang challenges one-dimensional measures of corruption. By unbundling the problem and adopting a comparative-historical lens, she reveals that the rise of capitalism was not accompanied by the eradication of corruption, but rather by its evolution from thuggery and theft to access money. In doing so, she changes the way we think about corruption, not only in China but around the world."--
Physical Description:1 online resource (xv, 257 pages) : illustrations
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9781108778350
1108778356
DOI:10.1017/9781108778350