Китайская Модель: Ретроспектива И Перспектива[The Chinese model: Retrospective and perspective]

This is a book about modern China, mainly about the economy (about half the text), but also about culture, history, religion, and politics. There are three main issues discussed in the book: (1) Why did China (and earlier other countries and territories of East Asia, largely based on the Chinese model – Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asian countries) in the 18-19 centuries started to lag behind not only the West, but even many developing countries (Russian Empire, Latin America)? (2) Why since the middle of the 20th century have these countries and territories became the only major region that started to close the gap in economic development levels with the West? (3) Is the Chinese economic and social model (based on “Asian values”, the primacy of public over private interests) more competitive than the liberal Western model and how will their competition end? It is generally believed that the economic success of the West during and after the transition to capitalism is associated with the expansion of human rights (the abolition of slavery and serfdom, guarantees of property rights and contracts). In contrast, this book argues that the rise of the West has less to do with securing individual freedoms and more to do with rising rates of saving and investment as a result of the destruction of the agricultural community and associated rise in the inequality in income distribution. The expansion of human rights became later a consequence of economic success, a kind of luxury that successful and competitive countries could afford. Today, however, the liberal Western model is experiencing increasing difficulties. The unwillingness to limit human rights in a variety of areas (refusal to introduce progressive taxation and active income regulation, leading to increased inequality, indecisiveness in limiting greenhouse gas emissions in rich countries, inability to cope with populism in the media and in politics) stimulates internal conflicts, reduces competitiveness as compared to countries that more aggressively restrict the rights of individuals for the sake of the common good. The liberal West is beginning to lose out to collectivist East Asia, the Middle East and partly South Asia in economic and social progress.