Towards the Functional Equilibrium: The Choice Based on the Reality of China

As the bridge between the government and the society, Chinese political social associations are faced with the problem of repositioning and system reconstruction in the period of comprehensive social transformation. In her book Between State and Society: Research on Functions of Political Social Associations in China , Prof. Chu Songyan studied the eight major people’s organizations and analyzes the legitimacy and functions of Chinese political social associations using a function-legitimacy framework. In light of the state of Chinese political social associations – their legitimacy of system is enhanced, their legitimacy of value impacted, their social legitimacy challenged, and their social functions overwhelmed by political ones, the author, considering the reality of China, national development strategies and the trends of times, proposed a path of transformation for Chinese political social associations which stresses the balanced development of their functions. The value of this book lies in its distinct definition and classification of Chinese political social associations, its comprehensive analysis of their functions, and its theory of a path for transformation which stresses the balanced development of their functions.