Contemporary Chinese Politics: New Sources, Methods, and Field Strategies

by Edited by Allen Carlson , Mary E. Gallagher , Kenneth Lieberthal , Melanie Manion

• ISBN13: 9780521155762
• ISBN10: 0521155762
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-29
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Contemporary Chinese Politics: Sources, Methods, and Field Strategies considers how new and diverse sources and methods are changing the study of Chinese politics. Contributors spanning three generations in China studies place their distinct qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches in the framework of the discipline and point to challenges or opportunities (or both) of adapting new sources and methods to the study of contemporary China. How can we more effectively use new sources and methods of data collection? How can we better integrate the study of Chinese politics into the discipline of political science, to the betterment of both? How can we more appropriately manage the logistical and ethical problems of doing political research in the challenging Chinese environment? In addressing these questions, this comprehensive methodological survey will be of immense interest to graduate students heading into the field for the first time and experienced scholars looking to keep abreast of the state of the art in the study of Chinese politics.

Author Biography

Allen Carlson is an associate professor in Cornell University's Government Department. Mary E. Gallagher is an associate Professor of political science at the University of Michigan and the director of the Center for Chinese Studies. Kenneth Lieberthal is a senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and in Global Economy and Development and also is director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution. Melanie Manion is a professor of political science and public affairs at the University of Wiscon-sin-Madison.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures	p. vii
Contributors	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Sources
State-Generated Data and Contentious Politics in China	p. 15
Why Archives?	p. 33
The Central Committee, Past and Present: A Method of Quantifying Elite Biographies	p. 51
Experimental Methods and Psychological Measures in the Study of Chines Foreign Policy	p. 69
Internet Resources and the Study of Chinese Foreign Relations: Can Cyberspace Shed New Light on China's Approach to the World?	p. 88
Information Overload? Collecting, Managing, and Analyzing Chinese Media Content	p. 107
Qualitative Methods
The Worm's-Eye View: Using Ethnography to Illuminate Labor Politics and Institutional Change in Contemporary China	p. 129
More than an Interview, Less than Sedaka: Studying Subtle and Hidden Politics with Site-Intensive Methods	p. 145
Cases, Questions, and Comparison in Research on Contemporary Chinese Politics	p. 162
Survey Methods
A Survey of Survey Research on Chinese Politics: What have we Learned?	p. 181
Surveying Prospects for Political Change: Capturing Political and Economic Variation in Empirical Research in China	p. 200
Using Clustered Spatial Data to Study Diffusion: The Case of Legal Institutions in China	p. 219
Measuring Change and Stability over a Decade in the Beijing Area Study	p. 236
Quantitative Research and Issues of Political Sensitivity in Rural China	p. 246
Reflections on the Evolution of the China Field in Political Science	p. 266
Glossary	p. 279
References	p. 283
Index	p. 311
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