Historical Dictionary of the Chinese Economy

By (author) Lawrence R. Sullivan With Paul Curcio

Hardback - £108.00

Publication date:

08 November 2017

Length of book:

546 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781538108536

The Historical Dictionary of the Chinese Economy covers the world’s second largest macro economy. Extensive attention throughout the volume is given to the historical development of the Chinese economy since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. Included is a review of developments during the period of central economic planning adopted from the Soviet Union (1953-1978) and in-depth information and analysis on the various policies and fundamental changes brought about in China by the inauguration of economic reforms from 1978-1979 through 2016.

This book contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 400 cross-referenced entries on critical sectors of the economy including automobiles, banking and finance, national currency, economic regulation, trade and investment, and important industries such as agriculture, computers and electronics, iron and steel, real estate, and shipping.. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about China’s economy.
This first edition is authored by Lawrence R. Sullivan, Professor Emeritus at Adelphi University and author of several books and articles on China, and Paul Curcio, contributor to several financial news publications. The book begins with a list of abbreviations and acronyms followed by a chronology that starts in 206 B.C.E. and runs through March 2017. The introduction is significantly shorter than what readers of other titles in the various historical dictionaries series have come to expect, but this is because the more-narrow-than-usual focus is on the Chinese economy since 1949. The introduction is divided into parts that include the era of economic reform, starting in 1978, economic problems and issues, and prospects and outlook. Nearly four hundred entries comprise the heart of the book. Entries vary in length. The entry for a complex, important, and broad topic like agriculture covers approximately eleven pages while the four modernizations are covered in one paragraph. The authors make generous use of see and see also references. The book concludes with a glossary, a list of chairmen, general secretaries, premiers, and state chairmen/presidents since 1943, the U.S. ambassadors to China since 1979, and a bibliography separated into sections. China is currently the world's largest exporter and the world's second-largest economy (and growing). It has increased its economic standing in the world; consequently, China's military and political might is also on the upswing. Therefore, this book is an important resource for those wanting to learn more about the economic structure of this prominent nation. Recommended for academic and public libraries.