This book takes a long-term perspective to examine the evolution of Chinese governance and its lasting impact on Chinese economic development. Through its broad exploration of the style, strength, and effectiveness of Chinese governance through the years, it touches on a universal relationship...

Do political decentralisation and inter state competition favour innovation and growth? There has long been a lively debate surrounding this question, going back to David Hume and Immanuel Kant. This book is a new attempt to test its veracity. The existing literature tends to assume that the...

Contents: 1. Introduction -- 2. Debate and comment about the needham puzzle over the past half-century -- 3. The behavior of the peasants and their households: the logical starting point for the study of the puzzle in Chinese economic history -- 4. The petty peasant economy and the formation of...