David M. Lampton is Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow at The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He is affiliated with the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. He also is Professor Emeritus and former director of China Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.
Provides an exceptional explanation of the astounding changes that China has experienced, especially since the late 1970s, and offers a sober assessment of the challenges the nation currently faces. . . . This important work on understanding contemporary China is essential for all China watchers. Its concise and lucid treatment of the topic will serve as valuable reading to experts and novices alike. * Library Journal * Beautifully written, and dotted with poetic passages unexpected in a book of political analysis. * Pacific Affairs * An authoritative depiction of how China's leaders view their domestic and international environments . . . It is all too rare to have a single book address issues of elite politics, domestic governance, civil-military relations, and foreign policy, but Lampton does so effectively in this book. * Political Science Quarterly * A cogent, in-depth analysis. * Choice * Insightful analysis . . . . One of the most balanced scholarly accounts of China's political development. * Journal of Chinese Political Science *