The Chinese State's Retreat from Health: Policy and the Politics of Retrenchment

This book examines the Chinese state's retreat from health in the post-Mao period, concentrating on health policies and the politics behind their making. Using analytical frameworks drawn from studies of state retrenchment in industrialized democracies and in post-communist Eastern Europe, Jane Duckett re-dresses the fact that as yet, there has been no focussed explanation of the massive retreat of the state from its role in health. Evidently, such a retreat has substantial socio-political consequences and as the author discusses ' reduces equality of access and puts health care beyond the reach of those with no ability to pay. Through her discussions, Duckett maintains that by studying retrenchment in China, the world's most populous nation and now a major international economy, we can better understand global variation in the role of the state, and the politics that shape that role.The Chinese State's Retreat from Health not only extends comparative research on retrenchment politics in a major authoritarian state but suggests understanding changes in state relations with health systems can help piece together a wider understanding of other issues such as housing and education. As such, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Chinese politics, social policy and the Chinese health care systemJane Duckett is Professor of Chinese and Comparative Politics at the University of Glasgow, UK.