The Cultural Logic of Politics in Mainland China and Taiwan - Softcover

Shi, Tianjian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1316608468 ISBN 13: 9781316608463

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2020

Synopsis

Tianjian Shi shows how cultural norms affect political attitudes and behavior through two causal pathways, one at the individual level and one at the community level. Focusing on two key norms – definition of self-interest and orientation to authority – he tests the theory with multiple surveys conducted in mainland China and Taiwan. Shi employs multi-level statistical analysis to show how, in these two very different political systems, similar norms exert similar kinds of influence on political trust, understanding of democracy, forms of political participation, and tolerance for protest. The approach helps to explain the resilience of authoritarian politics in China and the dissatisfaction of many Taiwan residents with democratic institutions. Aiming to place the study of political culture on a new theoretical and methodological foundation, Shi argues that a truly comparative social science must understand how culturally embedded norms influence decision making.

About this title

About the Author

The late Tianjian Shi was an Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University. He also taught at Tsinghua University in China. Shi is the author of Political Participation in Beijing (1997). He specialized in comparative politics with an emphasis on political culture and political participation in China and Taiwan.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1316608468
• ISBN 13: 9781316608463
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 316