{"product_id":"9783032237422","title":"From Sea Elections to State Control China’s Unfinished Democratic Experiments and the Logic of Top-Down Governance","description":"\u003ch3\u003eChallenges to Democracy in the 21st Century\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eFrom Sea Elections to State Control\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eChina’s Unfinished Democratic Experiments and the Logic of Top-Down Governance\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSam Lee\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePolitical Science \/ General\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"\u003eThis book examines China’s grassroots electoral experiments and their transformation into instruments of centralized political control. It provides the first comprehensive, historically grounded analysis of village, township, and consultative elections from the 1980s to the present.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003eTracing the rise of “sea elections” and their gradual institutional containment, the book shows how limited democratic practices emerged within a one-party system and were later restructured to reinforce state authority. It introduces the concept of “top-down governance logic” to explain how electoral participation can coexist with authoritarian resilience. Combining long-term field research, archival materials, and comparative political analysis, the book situates China’s experience within broader debates on authoritarian governance, democratic experimentation, political reform, and adaptive legitimacy. It demonstrates how elections in China functioned simultaneously as experiments in participation and mechanisms of political consolidation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSam Lee\u003c\/strong\u003e, Ph.D. (University of Antwerp, 1992), is Professor of Political Science and former Visiting Professor at the University of Zurich. An award-winning scholar, he received the IASIA Pierre de Celle Award (2012). He is the author of numerous books, including \u003cem\u003ePublic Administration Theories\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTrump and the Hidden Empire\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Glory Trap\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e14 August 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSpringer Nature Switzerland\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePalgrave Macmillan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9783032237422\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e359\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Springer Nature Switzerland","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46612205011084,"sku":"9783032237422","price":125.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/9783032237422.jpg?v=1780598125","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9783032237422","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}