Quasi-public, quasi-private trends in emerging market economies - The case of China

The liberal intellectual tradition has dominated analyses of market transitions, particularly of postcommunist countries. Its central tenet is the public/private dichotomy, and it stresses the empirical and normative necessity of sharp delineations between these two spheres. However, market transitions have involved pervasive quasi-public, quasi-private phenomena, including the proliferation of hybrid organizations and the interpenetration of state/society boundaries. An alternative framework that recognizes and explains these phenomena as a characteristic feature of capitalism can be applied to China's emerging market economy.