The neo-authoritarian contradiction: Developmentalist dictatorships and the retreat of the state in mainland China

This dissertation focuses on "neo-authoritarian regimes"--developmentalist dictatorships described as common to East Asia in the postwar world and present in Mainland China during the reign of Deng Xiaoping.;The goal of the dissertation is to analyze what the author views as the fundamental contradiction of neo-authoritarian systems in China and beyond: The contradiction between the struggle for dictatorial order and the acknowledged need in the process of economic modernization for a high level of societal autonomy. The dissertation focuses primarily on Mainland China, and addresses how elites and interest groups struggle to balance their desire for order with a necessary but contradictory drift toward civil autonomy.;Post-Mao China is presented as a case study of neo-authoritarian dictatorship. The dissertation's three parts all demonstrate areas of the Chinese political economy in which "the neo-authoritarian contradiction" has already begun to undermine the dictatorship that China's leaders aspire to maintain.;Part One focuses on the results of efforts to reform labor markets, carried out by neo-authoritarians who publicly condemn "liberalization" but, nevertheless, have promoted the liberalization of labor markets to foster more dynamic methods of production.;Part Two focuses on privatization efforts and ownership reforms in economic enterprises, promoted out of necessity by developmentalist leaders even as they seek to maintain some degree of public ownership.;Finally, Part Three discusses regional sources of tension as Beijing struggles to maintain some authority--but also promote dynamic growth through increased independence--in provinces and so-called "autonomous" regions.;The final, concluding chapter of the dissertation suggests that "the neo-authoritarian contradiction" in Mainland China has broad parallels to contradictions that were present elsewhere in East Asia for much of the Cold War--until contradictions overwhelmed dictatorships, and dictatorships gave way to democracies, in several nations. The conclusion also assesses the likelihood of democratization in China if and when a "breakdown of neo-authoritarianism" occurs.