Focuses on the potential for instability in China from political, economic, and historical perspectives. The book considers elite (national) and local politics, micro- and macro-economics, urban and rural conditions, attitudes among intellectuals, and minority areas. The high profile contributors include Thomas Bernstein, Pieter Bottelier, Bruce Dickson, June Dryer, Merle Goldman, Steven Jackson, Nicholas Lardy, H. Lyman Miller, David Shambaugh, and Dorothy Solinger.