This course provides an overview of China's political system. We will begin with a brief historical overview of China's political development from 1949 to the present. The remainder of the course will examine the key challenges facing the current generation of CCP leadership, focusing on prospects for democratization and political reform. Among other topics, we will examine: factionalism and political purges; corruption; avenues for political participation; village elections; public opinion; protest movements and dissidents; co-optation of the business class; and media and internet control.

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The course provides an overview of authoritarian political systems. We begin by identifying the two key challenges facing authoritarian rulers--"managing contestation from within" (the threat of coups) and "contestation from below" (the threat of revolution). We then focus on institutions (elections, parliaments, and parties) and other strategies (repression, propaganda, and censorship) dictators can use to address these threats. Special attention is paid to working papers and recently published work to give students a sense of the state of the field. Working knowledge of game theory and statistics is helpful but not required.

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