Most Popular Books by Ben Hillman

Power and Patronage examines the unwritten rules and inner workings of contemporary China''s local politics and government. It exposes how these rules have helped to keep the one-Party state together during decades of tumultuous political, social, and economic change. While many observers of Chinese politics have recognized the importance of informal institutions, this book explains how informal local groups actually operate, paying special attention to the role of patronage networks in political decision-making, political competition, and official corruption. While patronage networks are often seen as a parasite on the formal institutions of state, Hillman shows that patronage politics actually help China''s political system function. In a system characterized by fragmented authority, personal power relations, and bureaucratic indiscipline, patronage networks play a critical role in facilitating policy coordination and bureaucratic bargaining. They also help to regulate political competition within the state, which reduces the potential for open conflict. Understanding patronage networks is essential for understanding the resilience of the Chinese state through decades of change. Power and Patronage is filled with rich and fascinating accounts of the machinations of patronage networks and their role in the ruthless and sometimes violent competition for political power.

Interesting facts about some of the world''s biggest things.

In this third book by Ben Hillman, young readers will learn and see just how fast something is. By comparing objects such as the Thrust SSC (that''s a Thrust-powered Super Sonic Car), an ostrich (don''t underestimate the ostrich, my friend!), the human brain, and bamboo,wildly different objects are taken out of normal context and placed next to one another to allow for new and exciting perspectives. So just how fast is an ostrich? An ostrich would beat a top-notch professional cyclist in a ten-mile (sixteen km) race, hands down! While the best cyclists can race at blistering speeds of twenty-five miles per hour, the ostrich can run at forty-five miles per hour! Other books in the series that kids will enjoy: How Big Is It? and How Strong Is It?

During the past decade, Xi Jinping has emerged as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. Xi has led a reassertion of the Chinese Communist Party''s dominance of state and society, which has been achieved by a comprehensive tightening of political and social control. The nature and mechanics of these political and social controls are the secret to the so-called ''China Model''. This volume brings leading China experts together to examine the mechanics of authoritarian rule in Xi Jinping''s China. The chapters address critical but little understood changes to the architecture of state, which enables more effective top-down rule, and the efficient operation of an increasingly professional bureaucracy. They also examine the policies and mechanisms Xi Jinping has used to neutralize political competition within the state and pockets of dissent within a society, minority groups, social activists, labour, and the media. This volume is unique in its comprehensive treatment of the political social controls that underpin CCP''s rule in twenty-first century China. It will be of interest to anyone who wants to understand how the CCP has consolidated its rule at home as a springboard to the major power status Xi Jinping''s CCP now seeks on the world stage.

Goldie''s toaster doesn''t work properly, creating a black hole instead of toast.

Strange but fascinating facts about everyday things that turns out to be extraordinary.

Presents a visual guide to items and animals of various strength and substance, including such examples as spider webs, bulldozers, black holes, lasers, icebreakers, and the Hercules beetle.

In recent years, governments across Asia and the Pacific have adopted gender quotas to increase women''s representation in parliament. In 2003, Indonesia introduced a 30% gender quota that, over two election cycles, contributed to an increase in women''s share of seats in the national parliament from 9 per cent to 18 per cent. In the most recent (2014) elections, despite stronger enforcement of the quota provisions, expansive civil society-led efforts to support women candidates and favourable press coverage, the percentage of women elected to the national parliament declined. This article examines the evolving political context in which the gender quota operates to argue that common support programs designed to maximize the gender quota''s impact on women''s representation are insufficiently targeted at major obstacles. Findings will be of interest to lawmakers and public sector professionals working to advance gender equity and to students of democratization, representation and gender politics.