| The devolution of authority by the central Chinese government, has resulted in increased local autonomy, and has facilitated policy diversity and experimentation among China's cities and provinces. To date, existing research largely focuses on policy differences between coastal and interior cities. By contrast, my dissertation focuses on two questions related to policy diversity among Chinese coastal cities, the most dynamic region of modern China. First, I examine the political and economic roots of the differing paths to overall reform taking by two major urban administrations, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Second, I determine how these differing policies have influenced the response of the two cities to a common crisis, a dearth of adequate available housing. I will argue that Guangzhou, which pursed more aggressive market-based economic reforms, was more successful than Shanghai, which relied upon reform of state-controlled institutions, in the provision of residential housing. |
