Yuen Yuen Ang, an associate professor of political science at the University of Michigan, has been featured in The Diplomat, and written for Foreign Affairs, The Wall Street Journal and Project Syndicate. She was an Andrew Carnegie Fellow, and her book, How China Escaped the Poverty Trap, has won awards for its “game changing” research into the country’s development. Her latest book, China’s Gilded Age: The Paradox of Economic Boom & Vast Corruption (Cambridge University Press), explores the way in which corruption has infected, and yet fueled, China’s growth. What follows is a lightly edited Q&A.
Yuen Yuen AngIllustration by Kate Copeland
Q. Professor Ang, the topic of your latest book, China’s Gilded Age, is corruption. Why did you decide to tackle this topic?
A: The question of why China's economy has boomed despite massive corruption is one of the most enduring puzzles for anyone studying China. Many people are perplexed. We know that corruption i
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