World Class Podcast Episode 2: Go China Go

What is China up to over there on the eastern front? In recent years, its economy has had steady growth, and its foreign activities in other countries has changed. Some may call it a success, some may see China’s new rise as a threat, while others say that China still has a long way to go. Interested in getting to the bottom of China’s strategies, Jens is talking very fast and very much for the first part of the show, in order to get through a (very) brief history of China Then we go deep into China’s “state capitalist” economic model, and also the study of international power dynamics, in our exploration of the academic “power transition theory”. To not be all academic and (let’s be honest) sleep-inducing, our inquiry led us to conversations with political scientist and election observationist Maria Møller Kursch, who gives us a perspective on China’s bizarre involvement with Kazakstan’s politics, and also Stig Thøgersen, a professor of Sinology at Aarhus University, who let us in on what he thinks are the major developmental challenges China still faces. After listening, you will be up-to-date with the most important perspectives on China’s role in the world at the moment, with concrete examples to show off with, next time you discuss China with your dog or grandmother or whoever agrees to listen. Academics: John Mearsheimer, Steve Chan, Karsten Rauch and Iris Wurm