China Perspective Issues
Gunter Schubert
Village elections in contemporary ChinaNew Spaces for Generating Regime Legitimacy? Experiences from Lishu County
This article discusses the impact of direct village elections on regime legitimacy in China's local government. Applying a model based on David Easton's political systems theory, it is argued that village elections in Lishu county, Jilin province, have contributed significantly to increased social stability and the quality of local governance, resulting in more regime legitimacy. "Rational trust" on the part of the peasants in their cadres may best explain the observation that the cadres' political supremacy has not been challenged by direct elections.
Book Reviews (PDF version)
Ya-Chung Chuang, Democracy on Trial: Social movements and cultural politics in postauthoritarian Taiwan
Taishang Studies: A Rising or Declining Research Field?
ABSTRACT: The study of Taiwanese entrepreneurs who live and invest on the Chinese mainland (Taishang) has only recently started to attract attention. Taishang have been referred to as a “linkage community” that connects Taiwan and the Chinese mainland through its economic undertakings, political influence, and social experiences as a migrant community. Against this background, this article clarifies the extent to which Taishang have contributed to and shaped the ongoing process of cross-strait interaction and the development of cross-strait policies. It revisits the field of Taishang studies, takes stock of the knowledge that this field has generated so far, and explores future directions for meaningful research. KEYWORDS: Taishang, “linkage community,” cross-strait integration, cross-strait relations.