Economic Policy Making in China 1949-2016 ― The Role of Economists

This book explores the key ideas and the key people who were responsible for the development of China’s economy from 1949 to the present. It discusses how economic policy evolved, how economic policy was formulated and how the role of economists in decision making evolved. It considers the interplay between ideological and practical questions, provides biographical details of the key economists and includes a clear annotated chronology of events. The book is especially valuable because the author, as a senior World Bank official, was a close observer of the situation and to some extent a key participant.

Pieter Bottelier is a Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC. He became fascinated by China’s economic reforms and development when he served as Chief of the World Bank’s resident mission in China in the 1990s.