China continues to transform apace, flowing from the forces of deregulation, privatization and globalization unleashed by economic reforms which began in late 1978. The dramatic scope of economic change in China is often counterposed to the apparent lack of political change as demonstrated by continued Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule. However, the ongoing dominance of the CCP belies the fact that much has also changed in relation to practices of government, including how authorities and citizens interact in the management of daily life.

New Mentalities of Government in China examines how the privatization and professionalization of ‘public’ service provision is transforming the nature of government and everyday life in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The book addresses key theoretical questions on the nature of government in China and documents the emergence of a range of ‘new mentalities of government’ in China. Its chapters focus on areas such as clinical trials, conceptualizing government, consumer activity, elite philanthropy, lifestyle and beauty advice, public health, social work, volunteering; and urban and rural planning.

Offering a topical examination of shifting modes of governance in contemporary China, this book will appeal to scholars in the fields of anthropology, history, politics and sociology.

David Bray is Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Sydney, Australia. He is the author of Social Space and Governance in Urban China: The Danwei System from Origins to Reform (2005).

Elaine Jeffreys is Associate Professor, School of International Studies, University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Her recent publications include Prostitution Scandals in China: Policing, Media and Society (2012, Routledge).