State capacity building in China: An introduction

State capacity worldwide, often eroded by the effects of NPM type reforms, confronts unprecedented public policy challenges - vis-a-vis environment, security and health, amongst others. The state in China faces many of these - with unwelcome recent extras such as natural disasters. Whilst China has experienced phenomenal recent growth, it has also had to balance this with the need for stability. A paradox arises in which China seeks to regulate its rapid economic development whilst at the same time reforming the state itself. The collection of essays in this Special Issue will explore China's state capacity building challenges in a number of key systemic areas - budgeting, performance management, audit and state enterprise reform as well as specific public policy issue areas - environmental protection, land and security, local administrative and governance reform. In doing so, it will draw lessons about the applicability of governance models to specific country contexts and likely future paths as China seeks to deepen institutional and structural change. As in recent months the world has seen the near collapse of the US economy and further discrediting of the free market capitalist model of development, the interest in alternative development models is on the increase. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.