The Neo-liberal Road to Social Harmony? A critique of ideological formation in China

Governance is an essential element of neoliberalism which has dominated global policy formulation and policy discourse over the last two decades. This article examines the rise of governance as a key term in Chinese administrative reforms and how it has shaped the theoretical perspectives on the Chinese transitional state. It argues that the Chinese version of governance is a particular theoretical device to articulate the neoliberal turn in social policy. The paper then explores the historical development of governance in Chinese social-scientific thoughts and shows its adaptive process to become an integral part of the dominant policy discourse. Finally, it concludes with an evaluation of the political implications of this intellectual establishment.