Chinese Economic Statecraft

In Chinese Economic Statecraft, William J. Norris introduces an innovative theory that pinpoints how states employ economic tools of national power to pursue their strategic objectives. Norris shows what Chinese economic statecraft is, how it works, and why it is more or less effective.

William J. Norris is an Assistant Professor in the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

Norris’ new book is one of the first to focus on Chinese state-directed economic activities and their political effectiveness.... Norris sets a very ambitious research objective by not only selecting and examining seven extremely different cases, but also trying to build a new analytical framework based on principal-agent theory.

An impressive scholarly addition to our study of the contemporary Chinese foreign policy. It should be of great interest to both China Studies scholars as well as anyone interested in foreign policy analysis and international political economy.

Avery Goldstein, David M. Knott Professor of Global Politics and International Relations and Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, University of Pennsylvania:

William J. Norris significantly advances our understanding of economic statecraft as well as grand strategy. He offers a compelling theoretical framework to explain the successes and failures of the Chinese state as it has struggled to ensure that the country's newfound economic heft serves the national interest. To demonstrate the usefulness of his argument, Norris carefully explores an impressive selection of the most important recent Chinese attempts to exercise economic power for strategic ends. This is timely scholarship at its best.

Tai Ming Cheung, University of California, San Diego:

The subject of economic statecraft is a critical but understudied dynamic of international relations/international economic relations, so Chinese Economic Statecraft is very timely and addresses a gaping hole in the academic and policy literature. China is not shy in using its growing economic clout for national goals, and this book provides ample evidence of this. Moreover, William J. Norris's analytical approach is novel and correct in focusing on the domestic dynamics of state control as the key driver.

Thomas G. Moore, University of Cincinnati, author of China in the World Market: Chinese Industry and International Sources of Reform in the Post-Mao Era:

Chinese Economic Statecraft is a timely, compelling, first-rate piece of scholarship. William J. Norris's argument, which will be widely read and discussed among political scientists, economists, and scholars of Asian studies, is presented in a way that will also engage policy-oriented observers and laypeople interested in the book primarily for its insights into the factors shaping China's economic behavior.