Margaret Boittin (York), Greg Distelhorst (MIT), and Francis Fukuyama Stanford): Reassessing the Quality of Government in China. Patrick Francois, Francesco Trebbi, and Kairong Xiao (UBC): Factions in Nondemocracies: Theory and Evidence from the Chinese Communist Party. Speculation grows Xi Jinping will defy China rule on leadership retirement. From NYRB, a review essay on the Cultural Revolution by Ian Johnson. China wants to give all of its citizens a score — and their rating could affect every area of their lives. Ian Johnson interviews Christopher Rea, author of The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China.
Shucheng Wang (CUHK): Tripartite Freedom of Religion in China: An Illiberal Perspective. Ian Johnson on the role of Chinese religion in environmental protection. Resettling China's "ecological migrants": Miaomiao Lake Village is just one of the new communities built to accommodate the world's largest environmental migration project — but residents are struggling to adapt. China starts cancelling under-construction coal plants. Your balcony fell off, vaccines are overheated? Chabuduo — how China became the land of disastrous corner-cutting.
