The paradox of china’s alternative of development: lessons from professor Roberto Mangabeira Unger

Abstract

Professor Mangabeira Unger’s work covers different facets of human experience, analyzing and comparing different examples of political and economic national transformation. Among the cases studied, Unger’s writings on China deserve special attention; a country marked by a unique history of institutional experimentalism in a political regime characterized by the leadership of a communist state-party. This paper seeks to analyze Unger’s work on China, in particular, his examination of the paradoxical relationship between the Chinese State, market and society. Through a review of Unger’s writings over the last four decades, this paper examines his notes on the topic and draws parallels, when possible, with the current Chinese political-economic context. As a conclusion, this paper highlights how the paradox pointed out by Unger in the 1990s between institutional experimentalism and political contingencies remains unavoidably current, even though the apparent tension that could drive a democratization of the communist regime has not led to meaningful political transformations. Notwithstanding, the Chinese case, which previously constituted one of the alternative experiences of communist nature, now forms a modular axis of world politics and economy, capable of influencing global socioeconomic dynamics. Thus, it is worth reflecting on the opportunities and limits that the Chinese alternative presents from Professor Unger’s lessons, especially in the legal-economic field for developing countries.