This timely collection presents articles written by Chinese and Western authors on law reform in the People's Republic of China from its beginning in 1978 until the present day. The first part presents differing perspectives on the history of law reform. Separate sections are devoted to core institutions: the Constitution, the legislature, administrative law, courts, criminal process, the legal profession, extra-judicial dispute resolution and citizen petitions. Alongside an original introduction the book will be of interest to readers with specialized interests in Chinese law but also to anyone interested in China's governance.

China's rapid socioeconomic transformation of the past twenty years has led to dramatic changes in its judicial system and legal practices. As China becomes more powerful on the world stage, the global community has dedicated more resources and attention to understanding the country's evolving democratization, and policymakers have identified the development of civil liberties and long-term legal reforms as crucial for the nation's acceptance as a global partner. Modern Chinese Legal Reform is designed as a legal and political research tool to help English-speaking scholars interpret the many recent changes to China's legal system. Investigating subjects such as constitutional history, the intersection of politics and law, democratization, civil legal practices, and judicial mechanisms, the essays in this volume situate current constitutional debates in the context of both the country's ideology and traditions and the wider global community. Editors Xiaobing Li and Qiang Fang bring together scholars from multiple disciplines to provide a comprehensive and balanced look at a difficult subject. Featuring newly available official sources and interviews with Chinese administrators, judges, law-enforcement officers, and legal experts, this essential resource enables readers to view key events through the eyes of individuals who are intimately acquainted with the challenges and successes of the past twenty years.

Comparing four key branches of private law in China and Taiwan, this collaborative and novel book demystifies the 'China puzzle'.

China has enjoyed considerable economic growth in recent years in spite of an immature, albeit rapidly developing, legal system, a system whose nature, evolution and path of development have been poorly understood by scholars. Drawing on his legal and business experience in China as well as his academic background in the field, Peerenboom provides a detailed analysis of China's legal reforms. He argues that China is in transition from rule by law to a version of rule of law, though most likely not a liberal democratic version as found in economically advanced countries in the West. Maintaining that law plays a key role in China's economic growth, Peerenboom assesses reform proposals and makes his own recommendations. In addition to students and scholars of Chinese law, political science, sociology and economics, this will interest business professionals, policy advisors, and governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as comparative legal scholars and philosophers.

China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) has had a tremendous impact on the development and reform of China's legal system. This book focuses on the developments of China's legal system as well as its reform in the context of globalization. It covers various topics, including constitutional changes, law-based administration, and more.

The Thirty years since China s reform and opening have been very eventful for the country s legal reforms, and this volume presents a multi-disciplinary look at the current scholarship going on in China on the subject. The articles have been translated into English to assist scholars worldwide in understanding China s recent legal history and also to help familiarize them with the currents of contemporary Chinese scholarship. Individual subjects include commercial law, the evolving relationship between the Chinese government and its citizens, administrative law and criminal justice. There are also chapters on newly emerging areas of the law that are crucial to China s future development, such as the chapters on environmental law and intellectual property. The volume also includes a chapter on legal education and the legal profession, judicial reform and the development of law to protect the rights of the disadvantaged.