edited by Yang Zhong (University of Tennessee, USA) & Shiping Hua (University of Louisville, USA)

This volume is the first comprehensive study of China's “political civilization” since the term was introduced by then Party Secretary Jiang Zemin in 2002. Selected among about 200 papers delivered at an international conference in Beijing in 2004, this collection of ten essays discusses the relations between “political civilization” and political reform in China from the different perspectives of institution building, political culture, political theory, intra-party democracy, political participation, judiciary reform, legislative reform, and media reform. While the contributors are aware of the enormous difficulties China faces in reforming its political system and political culture, most are optimistic about the prospect of reform. Through theoretical discussions, the institutional analysis and other empirical methods in the book contribute to our understanding of Chinese politics in unique ways.

• The Essence of Promoting “Political Civilization” in China: Institution Building (W Chen)
• Corruption and Institution-Building in Transitional China (Y Hao)
• From Conflicts to Convergence: Modernity and the Changing Chinese Political Culture (B Guo)
• Democratic Values among Chinese Peasantry: An Empirical Study (Y Zhong)
• Democracy and the Governing Party: A Theoretical Perspective (B Womack)
• Self-Reform within Authoritarian Regimes: Reallocations of Power in Contemporary China (S Richardson)
• Political and Practical Obstacles to Reform of the Judiciary and the Establishment of a Rule of Law in China (J-P Cabestan)
• Public Participation and the Democratization of Chinese Governance (J P Horsley)
• Rights Consciousness, Economic Interests, and the 2003 District-Level People's Congress Elections in China: Middle-Class Motivations and Democratic Implications (X Wang)
• The Role of Media in Democratization: Origins, Characteristics, and Implications of China's Public Forum TV Programs (J Hong)