ABSTRACT
This chapter explores that the relationship between economic reform and democratization in communist systems is neither linear nor constant, but is rather contingent and variable. Economic reform is generally defined as decentralization of economic decision making combined with an increased role of market forces in resource allocation. The political change which might result from such reform can take several forms. The chapter distinguishes between social mobilization and democratization. Social mobilization describes what happens at the mass level; democratization describes institutional changes, requiring elite sanction, that alter, in a permanent fashion, the relationship between elites and masses. One additional terminological distinction requires elaboration, viz., the distinction between political liberalization and political rationalization. The dramatic reforms in post-Mao China provide an excellent opportunity to reexamine the merits of these competing arguments. The chapter explores the impact of the economic reforms on political change in China, asking how they have affected both elite and mass behavior.
