As a Socialist country undergoing rapid social and economic transition, China presents a revealing case study on the role of ideology in the process of institutional change. Based on Douglass North's theory of institutional change and on David Beetham's theory of political legitimation, this...

The republican era and the emergence of communist leadership during the anti-Japanese war of resistance -- The ascent of the vigilante militia : the violent antecedents of Mao's war communism -- The onset of collectivization and popular dissatisfaction with Mao's "yellow bomb" road -- The...