Reforming the Chinese Book Publishing Industry: An Analysis of A Strategic Action Field

This dissertation studies the institutional change in the Chinese book publishing industry, which was initiated by a state-led reform from 2003 to 2010. Previous theories of institutionalization of market rules emphasizes interactive processes between the state actor and the entrepreneurial actors. In the Chinese context, previous studies revealed a debate to define the primary agency of building the Chinese market-oriented economy. The alternative capitalism institutions in China are built by the state and non-state actors altogether, but it is still not all clear what specific roles these actors play for generating and stabilizing the market rules in specific industries. With in-depth interview data from 44 editors and managers from 4 comparative publishing groups and 4 editors from other publishing houses, this research explores an analysis of a Strategic Action Field to describe the working institutions in the Chinese book publishing industry, the roles of state and non-state actors in changing the institutions and the future direction of institutional change. The findings disagree with a capitalism from above and a capitalism from below. This study suggests a capitalism in between for China, where consensual legitimate market rules are practiced in the abode of state-owned enterprises that function to either deny or reconcile the state and the private sector. It leads to an improved understanding of the structure of the Chinese Party State in an era of making capitalist economy and development. It also leads to a discussion of the potential separation between consensus and institutional diffusion peculiar to the Chinese context.