"Where is China Headed?" – Session 4 on "Systemic Constraints"

VIDEO: Pardee Center Conference

December 8, 2008

An international group of distinguished scholars came together to discuss the future China in terms of politics, religion, law, economics, energy, the environment and health care during an all-day conference on December 8 titled “Three Decades of Reform and Opening: Where is China Headed?“

Sponsored by the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, the conference took place at the Rafik Hariri Building at Boston University’s School of Management. More than a hundred people attended the four sessions and the luncheon plenary of the all-day conference.

The conference was organized by well-known China expert Joseph Fewsmith, a Pardee Center Faculty Fellow and a Professor in BU’s departments of International Relations and Political Science. Papers were presented by 14 leadings China scholars, including by Professor Fewsmith and other China experts from around the U.S. as well as from China and Germany. These papers will be collected in an edited book expected to be published in 2009.

This is the video of the final panel session of the conference, on “Systemic Constraints.” Chair and speakers include:

Chair and Discussant: Robert Kaufmann
Yongnian Zheng – China’s central-local relations: How they constrain political changes
Yuanli Liu – Reforming Chinas Health Care System: The Balancing Act
Edward Cunningham – The Energy Sector
Joanna Lewis – China’s Environment

Videos of the entire conference can be viewed at the Pardee Center Multimedia Library:

Session 1: Politics
Session 2: Social Order
Lunch Plenary: Keynote by Amb. Stapleton Roy
Session 3 :Economics and Economic Decision-Making
Session 4: Systemic Constraints