The election of populist politicians in recent years seems to challenge the very idea of democracy. This book argues that majority rule is not to blame; rather, the institutions that stabilize majorities are responsible for the seeming suppression of minority interests. Despite the popular notion that social choice instability (or 'cycling') makes it impossible for majorities to make optimal decisions, Yuhui Li argues that the best part of democracy is not the large number of people on the winning side, but that the winners can be easily divided and realigned with losers in the cycling process. He shows that minorities' bargaining power depends on their ability to exploit division within the winning coalition and induce its members to defect, an institutionalized uncertainty that is missing in one-party authoritarian systems.Dividing the Rulers theorizes why such division within the majority is important and what kind of institutional features can help a democratic system maintain such division, which is crucial in preventing the 'tyranny of the majority.' These institutional solutions point to a direction of institutional reform that academics, politicians, and voters should collectively pursue.

China's Assistance Program in Xinjiang: A Sociological Analysis examines the partnership assistance program (PAP) in Xinjiang of northwestern China, which was initially implemented by the Chinese government during the 1990s. It was dramatically upgraded in 2010 following the 2009 riot in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang. The program requires that a total of nineteen provinces and municipalities from coastal and central regions of China provide a huge amount of financial, material, technical, human capital, and other resources and aid to Xinjiang for at least ten years (2010-2020). This most recent version of the PAP has generated drastic social, demographic, economic, and environmental changes in the region. Yuhui Li looks at changes in Xinjiang in recent years as a result of the PAP implementation. Xinjiang has become increasingly more industrialized, modernized, and urbanized, and is thus essential in helping the country realize the "China dream." However, the heavily interventional PAP could bring about unexpected consequences. For example, it could potentially aggravate the already tense racial relations in the region.