China 2020: How Western Business Can―and Should―Influence Social and Political Change in the Coming Decade

by Michael A. Santoro

Chinese society is plagued by many problems that have a direct impact on its current and future business and political environment-worker rights, product safety, Internet freedom, and the rule of law. Drawing on knowledge gained through personal interviews, documentary sources, and almost two decades of visits to China, Michael A. Santoro offers a clear-eyed view of the various internal forces-such as regionalism, corruption, and growing inequality-that will determine the direction and pace of economic, social, and political change. Of special interest is Santoro's assessment of the role of multinational corporations in fostering or undermining social and political progress. Santoro offers a fresh and innovative way of thinking about two questions that have preoccupied Western observers for decades. What will be the effect of economic reform and prosperity on political reform? How can companies operate with moral integrity and ethics in China? In China 2020, Santoro unifies these hitherto separate questions and demonstrates that moral integrity (or lack of it) by Western business will have a profound impact on whether economic privatization and growth usher in greater democracy and respect for human rights. China 2020 also offers a novel vision of China's future economic and political development. Santoro rejects the conventional view that China will muddle through the next decade with incremental social and political changes. Instead he argues that China will follow one or two widely divergent potential outcomes. It might continue to progress steadily toward greater prosperity, democracy, and respect for human rights, but it is also highly likely that China will instead fall backward economically and into an ever more authoritarian regime. The next decade will be one of the most important in the history of China, and, owing to China's global impact, the history of the modern world. China 2020 describes various tectonic social and political battles going on within China. The outcomes of these struggles will depend on a number of powerful indigenous forces as well as the decisions and actions of individual Chinese citizens. Santoro strongly believes that Western businesses can-and should-influence these developments.

Genres: Business

184 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[RYAN PHAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels like Professor Santoro has fallen into the trap of West German's Ostpolitik foreign policy. He thinks engagement with a liberal democracy will spread ideas and that people from the grassroots level can demand and obtain meaningful social and political change. The issue with this approach is that it is engagement for the sake of engagement and sometimes does not achieve the social progress that it wants since it does not provide the right incentives to the more authoritarian country. I mean, Germany, through contact with Russia, was able to change the hearts and minds of the Russian people, but that did not translate to lasting change, since the Putin regime is still in power.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a worthwhile read for anyone looking from outside to truly change their lens through which they view the Middle Kingdom. The one critical thing the book does really well is in establishing from the get-go the biggest mistake westerners make when viewing China - that the Chinese people's concerns must be very similar to theirs since they are rapidly growing into being more like the capitalist west. This is completely flawed. With that understanding, the book does center on key topics of labor rights, product safety, censorship (esp. internet), and the rule of law to elaborate on the challenges and the opportunities.

I thought it started out pretty riveting with Tiananmen and how that ties to the rest of the book, but I found that each succeeding chapters became rather boring and repetitive. I found myself thinking after I finished a chapter, 'I could summarize that in 1 paragraph.' I don't know if it's because of the academic background, but he repeats the concepts way too many times. For example, in the last chapter discussing the Rule of Law, he talks of how ordinary Chinese citizens are bravely confronting the government using the ALL and how the western businesses need to follow suit, and does so about half a dozen times. Then the last chapter discussing two chinas, it's rehashed all-over again.

He did have some good examples, but I thought it was lacking overall. Maybe including more interviews and examples would've given it some zing. But more importantly, maybe some counter arguments could've been introduced because it seems too much of one theory over and over again.

Probably a good book to highlight and reference later on but not quite a thrilling read.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reasoned appeal for moral business in China

What lengths will Western businesses travel to make profits in China? What morals and principles are they willing to sacrifice for a taste of success? Associate professor of business Michael A. Santoro investigates this subject by focusing on four salient issues: sweatshops, illegal drug manufacturing, Internet censorship and the rule of law. He offers a lucid, well-reasoned, although at times academic, analysis of how businesses are cashing in on corruption, weak regulation and the de facto absence of the rule of law instead of trying to improve conditions in China. Although some of Santoro’s conclusions seem idealistic (that is, inject foreign firms operating in China with a sense of morality and you will fix China’s problems), getAbstract recommends his brief but excellent argument that Western corporations have a responsibility for human rights proportional to their ability to make a difference.

To find out more about this book, check out the following Web page: http://www.getabstract.com/summary/12...

[John Galati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent insight on china

Well done mr Santoro looking forward to read your next book on china not looking good under trump to achieve pax in china