In times of geopolitical tension generated by great power rivalry, ordinary politics and policies are often attributed to “grand strategy,” a centrally coordinated master plan for achieving hegemonic aims. This is especially so if the policymaker in question is an authoritarian country with significant economic and military might, such as China. For instance, Made in China 2025, an industrial policy that aims to enhance the international competitiveness of China’s manufacturing sectors , is widely seen as a top-down industrial strategy driven by China’s supreme leaders and embodying the national will.
My book, Markets with Bureaucratic Characteristics, traces the origin of economic policies that have propelled China’s economic growth. It reveals the meso-level genesis of what are taken as “grand strategies”: they are formulated by ministry- and bureau-level bureaucrats who have a stake in developing policies that advance their careers in a competitive bureaucracy. Without understanding this bureaucratic source of modern politics, we fail to appreciate the backstage machinations that explain what policies emerge on the front stage.
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