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Strong Institutions in Weak Polities: State Building in Republican China, 1927-1940
This work explores state building and the processes by which supporting state bureaucratic organizations aided the state building effort in Republican China between 1927 and 1940. It suggests that in hostile environments profoundly non-congenial to state building efforts, it is the state
organizations that stand the best chance of becoming well institutionalized. This book details the administrative histories and institution-building strategies of three organizations in Republican China dealing with the national civil service, taxation, and foreign affairs.
organizations that stand the best chance of becoming well institutionalized. This book details the administrative histories and institution-building strategies of three organizations in Republican China dealing with the national civil service, taxation, and foreign affairs.
- GenresChina
Hardcover
First published April 23, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 10, 2015
Strauss really likes Weber's definition of state ... I'm not sure I agree. ... using strictly European standards to measure the success/failure of Republican China, how is this comparison? me, totally faint ... I give up. I'm probably NEVER gonna become a polisi person.
But, if reading her as a historian, and ignoring her comparative framework, this book is quite solid: attentive reading of primary materials (whatever was available at the time of research) and careful writing with fair judgement.
But, if reading her as a historian, and ignoring her comparative framework, this book is quite solid: attentive reading of primary materials (whatever was available at the time of research) and careful writing with fair judgement.
October 28, 2017
The last book read for the arduous history seminar, and I am grateful for having been pushed to read these books that I would never read otherwise.
This book is based on Strauss's dissertation, "Bureaucratic Reconstruction and Institution Building in the Post-imperial Chinese State: The Dynamics of Personnel Policy, 1912-1945 ." If we compare it with the book title, we find a shift of emphasis, from "institution building" to "state building," as well as a change of the time period, from "1912-1945" to "1927-1940." The dissertation title might work better for the book, and her choice of the four institutions as well as the reliance on the Weberian definition of "state building" seem problematic throughout the book. For example, can we count the Sino-Foreign Salt Inspectorate as part of the "state building?" Does "institution building" equal with "state building?"
Anyway, Strauss did a great job in answering the age-old question that historians normally had difficulty answering: how did institution function.
This book is based on Strauss's dissertation, "Bureaucratic Reconstruction and Institution Building in the Post-imperial Chinese State: The Dynamics of Personnel Policy, 1912-1945 ." If we compare it with the book title, we find a shift of emphasis, from "institution building" to "state building," as well as a change of the time period, from "1912-1945" to "1927-1940." The dissertation title might work better for the book, and her choice of the four institutions as well as the reliance on the Weberian definition of "state building" seem problematic throughout the book. For example, can we count the Sino-Foreign Salt Inspectorate as part of the "state building?" Does "institution building" equal with "state building?"
Anyway, Strauss did a great job in answering the age-old question that historians normally had difficulty answering: how did institution function.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews