1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910458220903321

Autore

Cai Yongshun

Titolo

Collective resistance in China [[electronic resource] ] : why popular protests succeed or fail / / Yongshun Cai

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Stanford, CA, : Stanford University Press, c2010

ISBN

0-8047-7373-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (302 p.)

Collana

Studies of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center

Disciplina

303.60951090

Soggetti

Social movements - China

Protest movements - China

Political participation - China

Electronic books.

China Politics and government 1976-2002

China Politics and government 2002-

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Figures and Tables -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Social Conflicts and Collective Resistance in China -- 3. Obstacles to Successful Resistance in China -- 4. Issue Linkage and Effective Resistance -- 5. Social Networks and Effective Resistance -- 6. The Power of Disruptive Collective Action -- 7. The Limits of Disruptive Tactics: The Use of Violence -- 8. Popular Resistance and Policy Adjustment -- 9. Conclusion -- Appendixes -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Although academics have paid much attention to contentious politics in China and elsewhere, research on the outcomes of social protests, both direct and indirect, in non-democracies is still limited. In this new work, Yongshun Cai combines original fieldwork with secondary sources to examine how social protest has become a viable method of resistance in China and, more importantly, why some collective actions succeed while others fail. Cai looks at the collective resistance of a range of social groups—peasants to workers to homeowners—and explores the outcomes of social protests in China by adopting an analytical framework that operationalizes the forcefulness of protestor



action and the cost-benefit calculations of the government. He shows that a protesting group's ability to create and exploit the divide within the state, mobilize participants, or gain extra support directly affects the outcome of its collective action. Moreover, by exploring the government's response to social protests, the book addresses the resilience of the Chinese political system and its implications for social and political developments in China.