This extensive book critically examines and contrasts the civil service systems of eight diverse Asian countries; Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Laos, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand, using a common comparative framework. The authors compare the civil service systems in each country discussing several factors including historical development, internal labour markets, degree of representativeness, level of politicization, the effect of public opinion, the impact of reform and diffusion and their place in two popular configurations of civil service systems.The authors go on to demonstrate the utility of comparative research by analysing the findings of the country studies and comparing the Asian countries against each other and the Asian experience as a whole against that of the West. They discover that there are considerable differences between the Asian civil service systems, illustrated by the degree to which political parties penetrate the civil service and the extent to which government agencies act as employers of last resort. Other conclusions drawn highlight the fact that in spite of many similarities, there are also sizeable differences between Asian and Western civil services, including a lack of political neutrality in many Asian countries. Civil Service Systems in Asia will be of great interest and value to academics and advanced level students in public administration, law, political science and Asian studies.

Over the past two decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has paradoxically steered the development of a thriving capitalist economy. Unlike many faltering post-socialist states with fragile economies and weakly institutionalised democratic structures, China has witnessed a tide of economic entrepreneurialism that has raised living standards and the country's global economic stature. However, the strains of rapid economic change and the tensions between an increasingly liberalized economy and the partially reformed institutions of an authoritarian polity have become increasingly severe. Crucial to the success of further economic reform and development, good governance is the greatest challenge faced by the CCP. This groundbreaking book explores the key dimensions of governance in China. These include the prospects for political reform as a new generation of leaders comes to power and China enters the World Trade Organization; the processes of building institutions, such as developing a clean, competent, and meritocracy-based civil service, and improving the legislative framework; enhancing regime legitimacy through the sharing of power at lower levels and promoting citizen participation and voice; and finally the prevention and management of social discontent, with particular reference to worker unrest and the Falun Gong. Drawing on original fieldwork, the international group of authors provides a systematic analysis of the political, institutional, and economic causes underlying China's governance problems and considers the prospects for future social and political change.

This is a collection of essays exploring the deep-rooted problems presented by the Three Gorges dam project that the Chinese government are trying to disguise or supress, brought together by Dai Qing, an investigative journalist, at the risk of her own freedom.

This is a collection of essays exploring the deep-rooted problems presented by the Three Gorges dam project that the Chinese government are trying to disguise or supress, brought together by Dai Qing, an investigative journalist, at the risk of her own freedom.