China’s Political Economy and Political Science Kellee S. Tsai China’s Regulatory State: A New Strategy for Globalization. By Roselyn Hsueh. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2011. 303p. $75.00 cloth, $35.00 paper. From Iron Rice Bowl to Informalization: Markets, Workers, and the State in a Changing China. Edited by Sarosh Kuruvilla, Ching Kwan Lee, and Mary E. Gallagher. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press, Cornell University Press, 2011. 233p. $39.95. Economic Openness and Territorial Politics in China. By Yumin Sheng. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 292p. $95.00. Introduction China’s contemporary political economy is among the most exciting and demanding frontiers of research in compar- ative politics. The country’s sheer size and internal diver- sity offer a natural laboratory for examining topics at multiple levels and units of analysis, and in varied regional environments. China’s salience in the international media and business community also presents scholars with the added opportunity (and even responsibility) for clarifying popular misconceptions through original empirical research. An abundance of research possibilities is accom- panied by a ready audience of nonacademic consumers. Meanwhile, with the decline of area studies in social science, China scholars earn the respect of their disciplin- ary colleagues by making analytic, not just descriptive, claims. Students of Chinese politics are expected to trans- late their findings into concepts and paradigms derived from familiar cases of development—or more ambi- tiously, to generate novel theoretical insights that contrib- ute to the broader discipline of political science. Interpreting Chinese politics through conventional categories is an exer- cise in showing what political science can do for China studies, while proposing new analytic terms demonstrates what the case of China can do for political science. Both approaches have merits insofar as they generate compel- ling research questions, meaning those that are nontrivial, do not have obvious answers, and, therefore, have poten- tial to contribute to our understanding of Chinese politics and general political processes. Each of the three books under consideration is orga- nized around such questions. They also demonstrate the value of cross-fertilization between area studies and disci- plinary frameworks. But ultimately, the most inspiring parts of these books are the sections where the respective authors show what China can do for political science, both empirically and analytically. When the case of China deviates from the expectations of conventional frame- works, it presents an opportunity for China scholars to introduce alternative explanatory possibilities and con- cepts. Examples of a few notable efforts are discussed at the end of this essay. 1 But unfortunately, most in the field remain reluctant to generalize from the case of China, which limits the readership of research monographs to area specialists. Political scientists with expertise in China should learn from the intellectual insularity of American exceptional- ism in the study of American politics. As Alfred Stepan and Juan Linz have advised in this journal, the study of both American politics and comparative politics would benefit from treating the United States as a country that is conceptually comparable to others. Scott Kennedy simi- larly calls for China scholars to break out of the “Middle Kingdom complex” in China studies. 2 Like their counter- parts in American politics, most China scholars do not view the case of China as a site for broader conceptual innovation. Large, complex countries such as China and the United States are more likely to be studied for their unique qualities, but framing their developmental attributes in comparative context would enrich our understanding of politics more generally. Research Questions Framed by Globalization The three books reviewed here are organized around research questions that probe the implications of global- ization for China’s domestic political economy. In so doing, Kellee S. Tsai is Division Head and Professor of Social Sci- ence at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Review Essay doi:10.1017/S1537592712003222 860 Perspectives on Politics © American Political Science Association 2013