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State-owned enterprises’ unchecked resource exploitation and the Chinese state’s GDP-dominated mentality have played pivotal roles in causing and perpetuating social and environmental problems in the country’s resource-rich provinces. The authors propose a “resource curse theory with Chinese characteristics” to analyze the role of the state and the impacts of state-owned enterprises.

For China, the year 2012 was politically significant with a once-a-decade power transfer taking place. However, the year was full of political scandals and rumors. From the top elite circles to the grassroots, Chinese feel increasingly anxious and frustrated. This paper examines what has gone wrong with China’s elite politics, and how Chinese social groups have responded.

This paper identifies major trends in China in 2011 and analyzes their implications. The past year has witnessed a continuous rise of anger among social groups, as demonstrated in various forms of social protests. Chinese intellectuals are becoming increasingly politically conscious and calling for political reform. However, the leadership is trapped in the politics of power succession; uncertainty is widespread.