China´s Foreign Policy Think Tanks : Explaining Institutional Developments and Shifting Roles

Abstract

This dissertation examines the development of nine prominent foreign policy research institutes in China, spanning a timeframe from their initial inception in the 1950s and 60s to the present, with a particular focus on the decade from 2002-2012. It introduces a model of think tank development that takes the specificities of China´s political system into account and seeks to examine the impact of key factors like political interests and available resources on institutional development. Institutes within the sample are further compared according to their activity across the fields of academia, policy advice and public relations, gleaning further insights from investigating patterns of apparent specialization. It employs a multi-method research design, quantifying output across all fields of activity and offering interpretations and explanations gleaned from fieldwork and extensive document analysis.

This dissertation argues that key impulses for the development of China´s foreign policy think tanks have come from changes in the country´s political system, most importantly a reliance on technocratic policy and regime legitimation from 1978 onwards. Although the institutes which currently dominate the landscape are state-run and thus not part of civil society like their Western counterparts, more recent developments have also led to a convergence, with many institutes emerging as key players in academia and public relations. Finally, it examines how think tanks tie into China´s current international strategy, especially where efforts to improve the country´s image abroad are considered.