i) This title approaches the relationship between the government and the market from the perspective of mezzoeconomics in an effort to fill up some gaps in this regard by building a new economic model in theory and clarifying economic operation in practice. ii) This title offers first-hand information and practical suggestions for regional governance. iii) The author uses a number of figures and tables to illustrate the theoretical models.

China 's spectacular growth and poverty reduction has been accompanied by growing inequality which threatens the social compact and thus the political basis for economic growth. Chinese policy makers have realized the importance of the problem and have launched a series of investigations and policy initiatives to address the issues. The regional dimension of inequality rural/urban and inland/coastal dominates in a country as large as China, and especially with its particular history. Not surprisingly, regional inequality has come to loom large in the policy debate in China.

The policy debate has been informed by, and to some extent instigated by, a parallel analytical literature which has quantified the magnitude of the problem and identified recent trends, offered explanations based on rigorous analysis, and proposed policy interventions in light of the facts and understanding. Through a series of articles which have been published in leading journals, the editors have been involved in a systematic investigation into the nature and evolution of regional inequality in China for over a decade.

After three decades of spectacular economic growth in China, the problem is no longer how to achieve growth, but how to manage its consequences and how to sustain it. The most important consequence, at least as far as Chinese policy makers are concerned, is the rapidly growing inequality, between persons, between rural and urban areas, and between inland and coastal regions. At the same time, the institutions that have brought rapid growth so far are now under stress, and there is a need to reform and innovate on this front in order to sustain rapid growth, and to have growth with equity.

The analytical literature has responded to the emerging policy problems by specifying and quantifying their magnitude, understanding their nature, and proposing policy approaches and solutions. Policy makers have also been looking to analysts for interaction and assistance. This volume brings together a collection of the best available analyses of China's problems in governing rapid growth, focusing on equity and institutions. Contributions include perspectives from leading policy makers who were intimately involved in the reform process, and from leading academics in articles published in top peer reviewed journals.

China's spectacular growth and poverty reduction has been accompanied by growing inequality which threatens the social compact and thus the political basis for economic growth. Chinese policy makers have realized the importance of the problem and have launched a series of investigations and policy initiatives to address the issues. The regional dimension of inequality-rural/urban and inland/coastal-dominates in a country as large as China, and especially with its particular history. Not surprisingly, regional inequality has come to loom large in the policy debate in China. The policy debate has been informed by, and to some extent instigated by, a parallel analytical literature which has quantified the magnitude of the problem and identified recent trends, offered explanations based on rigorous analysis, and proposed policy interventions in light of the facts and understanding. Through a series of articles which have been published in leading journals, the editors have been involved in a systematic investigation into the nature and evolution of regional inequality in China for over a decade.

After three decades of spectacular economic growth in China, the problem is no longer how to achieve growth, but how to manage its consequences and how to sustain it. The most important consequence, at least as far as Chinese policy makers are concerned, is the rapidly growing inequality, between persons, between rural and urban areas, and between inland and coastal regions. At the same time, the institutions that have brought rapid growth so far are now under stress, and there is a need to reform and innovate on this front in order to sustain rapid growth, and to have growth with equity. The analytical literature has responded to the emerging policy problems by specifying and quantifying their magnitude, understanding their nature, and proposing policy approaches and solutions. Policy makers have also been looking to analysts for interaction and assistance. This volume brings together a collection of the best available analyses of China's problems in governing rapid growth, focusing on equity and institutions. Contributions include perspectives from leading policy makers who were intimately involved in the reform process, and from leading academics in articles published in top peer reviewed journals.

Rapid growth in the Chinese economy over the past three decades poses puzzles and challenges to neo-classical economic theory, as policies implemented during the reform process were often unorthodox. Although the Chinese experience has been widely studied, myths and questions about these reforms remain. To fill in the knowledge gap, and to inform a process of learning from China's development successes, this book features a series of case studies on the policy process of different initiatives, including rural industrialization, dual-track price reform, migration policy, village elections and fiscal reform. Uniquely, many of the authors of the case studies were deeply involved in these reforms, either through direct policymaking or through providing analytical and technical support that led to these policy changes. They provide a first-hand account of how the political processes occurred, how social and political entrepreneurs shaped the choices and sequences of various reforms, and how the rigidities and sometimes erroneous beliefs were overcome.