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developing world, outside of trade and investment figures. This in turn undermines the books ability to fulfill its potential to challenge existing ideas about Chinas role in the developing world, and to carve out a new way to conceive of the relationships or to understand the new global dynamic. Despite these, there is no doubt that this book raises, and addresses very adequately, some fascinating questions about China, such as whether investment is driven by the state, as is commonly assumed, or whether it is rather a case of the tail wagging the dog (Zweig, p. 44). It is, overall, a useful contribution to the growing literature on Chinas rise and the implications for the developing world, as well as for the United States. Merriden Varrall Macquarie University, Sydney/The Free University, Amsterdam Awakening Giants, Feet of Clay: Assessing the Economic Rise of China and India, by Pranab Bardhan. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010. x + 168 pp. US$24.95/16.95 (hardcover), e-Book $24.95. Many works on the rise of China and India fall into the trap of simplifying the issues into democracy versus authoritarianism or similar dichotomies. Thankfully, Pranab Bardhans Awakening Giants is not one of them. Bardhan, who is professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, sets out to chart the economic development of China and India over the past 25 years, noting that his aim is not to examine their now considerable impact on the global economy but rather to understand what has happened to the lives of people inside those countries and under what structural constraints (Preface, p. vii). He sees his book as destroying some myths that have become popular in the media and parts of academia concerning the two countries significant economic achievements; it is in doing this that the book really proves its worth. Bardhans refusal to shy away from complexity is refreshing, and it is this which distinguishes his book from many others in the field. Bardhan devotes his introduction to highlighting and debunking some of the most prominent myths surrounding the economic rise of India and China, such as that Chinas growth has been primarily export-driven (p. 5) or that the intensive opening of Indias economy since the 1990s has brought about a corresponding decrease in poverty (p. 7). The overarching theme, however, which is analyzed extensively in the final chapter, is that of the issue of democracy or authoritarianism either facilitating or hindering development (p. 3). This idea, which is at the heart of many debates about the rise of China and India, is handled with both substance and deftness. Bardhan is first and foremost an economist, and the majority of the book is devoted to various aspects of the two countries economic growth. Beginning with their differing processes of economic reform, he then moves on to agriculture, infrastructure, savings rates and financial institutions, the effects of globalization and capitalism, poverty and inequality, the social sector and the environment. There are times,

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particularly in the savings and capitalism chapters, when the content is rendered rather dry by large amounts of statistics, though these are to a certain extent unavoidable. This is mitigated by the fact that each chapter is succinct but thoroughly researched, and as a whole the book provides a comprehensive introduction to the complex economic issues facing China and India. Indeed, some of the comparisons, such as those dealing with educationFor all its brilliant scientists and software engineers, India is the largest single-country contributor to the pool of illiterate people (and school dropouts) in the world (p. 112)are both fascinating and disturbing, and highlight the huge gulf between China and India which is often overlooked in the mainstream media, and indeed in a lot of academic literature. The concluding and arguably most interesting chapter ventures more into the realm of political economy, and is where Bardhan seriously tackles the democracy versus authoritarianism question. In so doing he provides a comprehensive and intriguing analysis of the two countries systems of governance, their successes and failings, and their future potential. His conclusionthat, although China and India have shown unprecedented levels of growth over the past 25 years and have proved remarkably resilient politically, both suffer from inherent structural weaknesses and social and political uncertainties (p. 159) which could plague them into the futureis a refreshing piece of ambiguity in a sea of assertions about an Asian century and when China rules the world. Although this is a book primarily focused on economics, it is not written solely for economists. It is a concise, accessible volume which can provide a valuable resource for anyone wanting to understand better the myriad complexities surrounding the rise of China and India. Louise Merrington The Australian National University 21st Century China: Views from Australia, edited by Mary Farquhar. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009. 39.99/US$59.99 (hardcover). This book is divided conceptually into five key fields and disciplines: 1. urban architecture; 2. law and justice; 3. business and politics; 4 society and culture; and 5. the arts (p. xiv). The one common theme that is presentsometimes explicitly, sometimes notis that of impending, imagined or immersed modernity. It is instructive to read these chapters with the knowledge that many of the key ideas in them were formed in the global hype prior to the great declaration of Chinese Modernity that was the Beijing Olympics. The book is unified to the extent that it is a product of that time. Overall, though, this collection of essays is not entirely coherent, but some chapters are worth reading if the subjects that they deal with fall into ones area of interest. Breathless commentary on Chinese hyper-modernity persists today, but it is now joined by a murmur of low voices concerned with the growth of a particular type of authoritarianism, one that mixes modernity, the market and the media with

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