325-232 Chinese Business and Economy

Coordinator

Prerequisites

326-102 Australian Business in the Global Economy or 326-103 The Asian Economies or 316-101 Introductory Macroeconomics or 316-102 Introductory Microeconomics or other approved first year subject for students not in the BCom.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

The subject surveys the contours of the post-1978 economy, the nature of the new household economy, the re-emergence of markets and private enterprise, and the state-dominated urban industrial sector. The roots of the present business and economic system are explored. Two key questions are asked: What was the nature of the economic system before 1949 which allowed growth sufficient to feed a growing population without an industrial revolution? Why was China so slow to adopt modern technology? Analysis will focus on the nature of the peasant household economy and handicraft manufacturing, the development of market and transport systems which allowed a high level of pre-modern commercialisation, and the resistance to technological innovation. Controversial debates on industrial and agricultural growth in Republican China, the character of the war economy, and the swings in economic policy of the 1950s-70s will be analysed. Detailed analysis is made of the post-1978 reforms and their implication for domestic growth, foreign investment and international trade.

Assessment

Tutorial participation and preparation (50%) and a 2-hour examination (50%).