Christopher Marquis is Sinyi Professor of Management at the Cambridge Judge School of Business, and a fellow of Jesus College at the University of Cambridge. In his recently published book, Mao and the Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise — written together with Kunyuan Qiao from Georgetown University — he analyzes the lingering impact of Mao Zedong on China’s political economy using detailed research into Chinese corporate sources and interviews with the country’s business leaders. The following is a lightly edited transcript of a recent interview.  Christopher Marquis.Illustration by Kate Copeland Q: You argue in your book that although the post-1976 era in China is often seen as a break from the Mao period, after his death, in fact his influence was fundamental to the way that China's economy then developed, and how it works today. Can you explain the main themes in your own words?  A: Our research over the past decade has focused on understa