The Chinese ‘Developmental State 3.0’ and the resilience of authoritarianism

Political scientists frequently argue that authoritarian systems are per se economically inefficient, non-innovative, and without legitimacy. China’s economic success and relative stability in recent decades have shown, however, that such postulates are far too simplistic. Accordingly, the question is why China is managing to develop so smoothly and how its stability and legitimacy are to be explained. This article takes up the concept of the ‘developmental state’ in order to better explain and localize the function and behavior of the Chinese state. It argues that developmental states exhibit specific features that help elucidate and explain the ‘resilience’ of the Chinese political system.