Over sixty years have elapsed since the Communists gained control of the Chinese mainland. The years between 1949 and 1969 were a time of constant change and periodic cataclysm - the initial purges, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution - all bound up with the Communist conception of how to move the country into modernity in the shortest possible time. The Chinese Economy under Maoism summarizes and evaluates the economic consequences of the Communist path to development in a concise, factual presentation that can be readily comprehended by non-economists.The authors review the major features of the Chinese economy prior to the Communist takeover and discuss the policies, performance, and problems of the individual sectors of the Chinese economy during its initial years under Communism. Included in their review are industry, agriculture, foreign trade, resource allocation, population, employment, and living standards. A concluding chapter summarizes Chinese economic growth and presents a discussion of future policy alternatives and an optimum economic policy for China.Based on important findings of Western scholars, with many original interpretations by the authors, this material is presented from a developmental point of view. Since it was originally published in 1972, sections of the book devoted to comparative studies of progress in India and the former Soviet regime will be of particular interest now. Free of technical language and providing insights into the economy of one of the most important countries in the world, this book will be useful not only to economists but to a broad range of sinologists, political scientists, sociologists, and historians interested in the path of revolution.
Author(s): Nai-Ruenn Chen, Walter Galenson
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 260
City: London
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Preface
One: The Economic Heritage
Agriculture
Handicrafts
Economic Modernization and Foreign Investment
Characteristics of Modern Industry in China
Foreign Trade
Human Resources
Two: Alternative Paths to Economic Development
The Resources for Development
The Chinese Strategy for Development, The First Phase, 1952-1957
The Great Leap Forward
Development Policy Since the Great Leap
Three: Development of the Industrial Sector
The Soviet Assistance Program
The Growth of Industrial Output
The Pattern of Industrial Expansion
Handicraft Production
The Choice of Techniques in Manufacturing
The Location of Industry
The Fuel and Mineral Industries
The Electrical Power Industry
Transportation
The Construction Industry
Manchuria
Conclusions
Four: Agriculture
The Agricultural Contribution to Economic Growth
Agricultural Production During and After the Great Leap Forward
Agricultural Development Policy
Current Agricultural Policy
Five: Population and Employment
Population
Nonagricultural Employment
Employment in Agriculture
Unemployment
Professional and Scientific Manpower
Six: The Control and Allocation of Resources
Economic Reorganization
Mobilization of Savings
National Economic Planning
The Use of Markets and Prices in Resource Great Leap Forward
Seven: Conditions of Life and Labor
Pre-Communist Conditions
Aggregate Measures of Living Standards Since 1949
Urban Living Standards, 1952-1956
Urban Living Standards Since 1956
Rural Living Standards
State Welfare Benefits
Organization of the Labor Market
The Rural Wage System
Eight Foreign Economic Relations
Control and Organization of Foreign Trade
Trends in Foreign Trade
The Commodity Composition of Foreign Trade
Direction of Foreign Trade
The Balance of International Payments
The Chinese Foreign Aid Program
Nine: Prospects for the Chinese Economy
Economic Growth Since 1952
China and India Compared
Future Policy Alternatives
An Optimum Economic Policy for China
Bibliography
Index
