Politics in China: Has the People’s Government Set Itself up for a People’s Revolt?
Abstract
This paper identifies and analyzes the economic and social effects of China’s rapid modernization, accelerated thanks to reformist policies enacted by the “second generation” of the Chinese Communist Party (starting in the late 1970s), in order to speculate about the future of Chinese politics and society. The most notable and relevant economic and social effects of the demographic acceleration (modernization) are an increase in academic pressure on youth and young adults; the lack of public care for elderly or sick, causing increasing pressure on their families; the gap between China’s job market and its labor force; and economic inequality as the rich get richer in the booming economy. Political unrest in the People’s Republic of China would be possible in the near future if these social strains are left unattended. However, the Chinese government seems more than capable of incorporating reform into its governance, and unrest is unlikely to get out of control.
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