China's Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy

By Minxin Pei

Categories: Politics & Social Sciences

China's Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy (2006) is a book by political scientist Minxin Pei. Pei argues that China's gradual economic reform without political liberalization produced corruption and a predatory state. He contends that the trapped transition limits further progress and stores up instability beneath years of high growth. The analysis became a reference point for debates on China's political future.

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• Fareed Zakaria: “This week's book of the week is the book I opened the show with China scholar Minxin Pei's "China's Trapped Transition: the Limits of Developmental Autocracy." This is the one book to read to understand China's current challenges. Clearly, after having spent three decades watching China's economy, the thing to watch right now is China's politics and there's no better guide to understanding it than this book. It's an academic work, but clearly written and highly intelligent.”