Asia's Giants Comparing China and India [Paperback]

This edited volume reconsiders the conventional wisdom, which argues that comparative performance (in economic, social, political, as well as diplomatic arenas) of China has been superior to that of India. The book brings together 'new paradigms' for evaluating the comparative performance of two countries. Essays show that if not outright wrong, conventional wisdom has proven to be overly simplified. The book brings out the complexity and richness of the India-China comparison.Preface; E.Friedman Introduction; R.MacFarquhar Two Paths to Modernity; B.Gilley ECONOMIC REFORMS Differential Development: Beyond Regime Dichotomies; J.Mukherji Chasing China: Can India Bridge the Gap?; S.Awamy India's Reform Strengths; J.Manor & G.Segal SUB-NATIONAL FACTORS The Persistence of Informal Finance; K.Tsai The Political Basis of Decentralization; A.Sinha Indigenous vs. Foreign Business Models; H.Yasheng & T.Khanna NEW PERSPECTIVES Why Democracy Matters; E.Friedman China Rethinks India; H.Jinxin Development and Choice; A.Saich Conclusion; B.Gilley

...The authors are on solid ground when they conclude that India and China will decisively shape the future of Asia and become major actors in world politics. - Foreign Affairs'In the West, the conventional India/China comparisons of the 1970's and 1980's were deeply influenced by the misleading self-reports of a Chinese society so closed that fact checking was impossible. The comparisons were influenced by reports of an India so open that all social, political and economic blemishes were accessible. The authors of this volume have reread the old Chinese evidence more critically, countering spurious statistical claims and deducting credit for the low status of civil rights and political freedoms. They have reread the old Indian evidence more positively through the lens of India's recent accelerated growth and IT leadership, and accorded its democratic and human

rights practices more credit. This attemptl#µ