Development, regional equity, and political change in China

China's landmark “open door” policy that has received so much attention in the West has infused the accessible east coast of China with foreign capital, advanced technology, and of equal importance, new managerial and organizational systems. The result has been meteoric increases in exports, worker productivity, wages, and the general quality of material life. Within the major cities and their hinterlands along the coast, the resulting transformation is most remarkable, not only in terms of its magnitude and pace, but also with respect to the implications for China's political future.