A discussion of the potential for instability in China from political, economic and historical perspectives. It considers elite and local politics, micro- and macro-economics, urban and rural conditions, attitudes among intellectuals, and minority areas.

Chapter 1 Introduction: A Typology for Stability and Instability in China, Steven F. Jackson; Chapter 2 How Do We Know If China Is Unstable?, H. Lyman Miller; Chapter 3 The Chinese Leadership: Cracks in the Façade?, David Shambaugh; Chapter 4 Political Instability at the Middle and Lower Levels: Signs of a Decaying CCP, Corruption, and Political Dissent, Bruce J. Dickson; Chapter 5 Sources of Macroeconomic Instability in China, Nicholas R. Lardy; Chapter 6 How Stable Is China? An Economic Perspective, Pieter Bottelier; Chapter 7 ::, Dorothy J. Solinger; Chapter 8 Instability in Rural China, Thomas P. Bernstein; Chapter 9 The Potential for Instability Among Alienated Intellectuals and Students in Post-Mao China, Merle Goldman; Chapter 10 The Potential for Instability in Minority Regions, June Teufel Dreyer; Chapter 11 Chinese Social Trends: Stability or Chaos?, Martin King Whyte;