Beyond the Four Percent Solution: explaining the consequences of China's rise

Debates about the consequences of China's rise have focused mainly on China's foreign policy in security affairs and have been offered mostly within a realist framework; yet this limited approach to the problem ignores non-security issues, non-realist frameworks, and non-China sources of system-level outcomes. Policy-makers and scholars should significantly broaden their descriptive and explanatory frameworks in order to understand the consequences of a rising China. Using this broader approach will direct attention to systemic and ideational factors in explaining whether China's rise is peaceful or not. Notes *Bruce Gilley is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. His research centers on questions of democracy, legitimacy, and global politics. His books include The Right to Rule (2009) and China's Democratic Future (2004). He can be reached by email at gilleyb@pdx.edu 1. 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