Jian Zhang

This book examines the key role played by local governments in China's market-oriented economic reform process since 1978. In particular, it addresses the much debated questions of why Communist Party officials at the local level embraced market reform despite its potentially detrimental effects on their power, and how the choices they made have shaped institutional changes and the pattern of development in the economies under their jurisdiction. In contrast to most recent studies of local governments in China, which have tended to explain local state activism in terms of the economic interests of local government officials, this book highlights the role that political interests have played in shaping economic behaviour. The contention is that the active involvement of local governments in the economy has been motivated not only by a desire to seek economic benefits, but also, and more importantly, by political considerations. The political perspective emphasised in this book leads to a reassessment of the nature and effect of the role of local government in the economic growth and institutional changes in China's transitional economy. Tracing the behaviour of local government to its political origin, the book not only explains more fully the motivational sources of economic activism at the local level, but also demonstrates the contradictory ways in which local governments intervene in the economy, the internal weakness of the local state-led development, and how problems caused by politically-motivated economic intervention catalysed the privatisation of the local government-run economic sector during mid-1990s.

Etsitkö jännitystä, uusia näkökulmia tai rentouttavaa lukuelämystä? Tutustu kirjakategorioihimme ja löydä seuraava suosikkikirjasi.

Households significantly influence the sustainability of our planet. The decisions individuals and families make in their daily lives can have a substantial impact on the environment and society. Traditional economic models typically focus on maximizing benefits within one unit and one lifecycle, often overlooking the needs of other units and future generations. Household sustainability is a new research field that seeks to understand how households make choices that affect the environment, social well-being, and financial stability, as well as how households respond to interventions from these three perspectives. This field acknowledges the complex interactions between these three dimensions and aims to help households maximize their current utility without jeopardizing the utility of future generations. Within existing economic frameworks, household sustainability considers two additional fundamental issues: concerns for long-term growth (for descendants), and constraints placed on human societies. This handbook is intended for researchers or anyone interested in academic research on household sustainability. It provides an overview of recent research findings in this field, covering three major topics: household environmental sustainability, social sustainability, and financial sustainability. Specific research studies and findings that have contributed to our understanding of household sustainability are also highlighted in this book.

Cooperative Control of Spacecraft Formation Flying: From Anti-Communication Delays to Resources Saving provides an in-depth, practically focused, exploration of secure cooperative control for spacecraft formation flying that addresses real-world challenges including communication latency, resource constraints, and information security, balancing foundational theory with actionable solutions, tailored to complex, resource-limited environments A comprehensive reference source for aerospace engineers and researchers covering anti-communication delays and resource-saving coordination strategies in spacecraft formation flying. For professionals and researchers in space systems, robotics and control engineering, the book provides detailed descriptions of robust security measures and practical application insights. The integration of secure communication protocols with control methods makes the book particularly relevant for professionals in high-stakes environments, where cyber threats and resource limitations are critical. For space agency mission planners and aerospace cybersecurity experts, the project addresses critical issues in secure, delay-tolerant communication and resource optimization for coordinated spacecraft missions. This enhances the development of secure and resilient communication protocols, which are critical to prevent data breaches and ensure reliable inter-spacecraft coordination in adversarial environments. The integration of advanced algorithms and the emphasis on real-world challenges, particularly the communication security issue, provides readers with a unique perspective that is missing in existing literature. The book equips readers with detailed information on advanced control strategies for multi-spacecraft coordination, particularly methods that address communication delays and optimize resource use

This book is part of an initiative in cooperation with renowned Chinese publishers to make fundamental, formative, and influential Chinese thinkers available to a western readership, providing absorbing insights into Chinese reflections of late, and offering a chance to grasp todays China. In their influential book Handbook of the History of Religions in China, Zhongjian Mou and Jian Zhang present a panorama of the religions existing in China through time. In their fascinating History, they delineate the emergence and development of Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity and explore the roles they played in Chinese society and the interrelations between them. In China, also due to the encompassing Confucian idea of living together harmoniously while maintaining differences, religions -- including newly arrived ones -- came closer together than anywhere else in the world and reached a unique level of peaceful societal coexistence. Despite many frictions and conflicts, communication and reconciliation were indisputably predominant in China throughout history. Buddhism was peacefully introduced into China and, later on, a harmonious, symbiotic syncretism of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism developed -- an exemplary process of how a diverse set of different religions can complement each other and contribute to a better life.