Alumnus Damien Ma (CCS MA '06) will discuss his new book (co-authored with William Adams), which turns the conventional wisdom on its head by showing why China’s economic growth will constrain rather than empower it.

In this book, Damien Ma and William Adams reveal why, having 35 years of ferocious economic growth, China’s future will be shaped by the same fundamental reality that has shaped it for millennia: scarcity. Ma and Adams drill deep into Chinese society, illuminating all the scarcities that will limit its power and progress. Beyond scarcities of natural resources and public goods, they illuminate China’s persistent poverties of individual freedoms, cultural appeal, and ideological legitimacy – and the corrosive loss of values and beliefs amongst a growing middle class shackled by a parochial and inflexible political system. Everyone knows “the 21st century is China’s to lose” – but, as with so many things that “everyone knows,” that’s just wrong. Ma and Adams get beyond cheerleading and fearmongering to tell the complex truth about China today. This is a truth you need to hear – whether you’re an investor, business decision-maker, policymaker, or citizen.

Reception to follow. Copies of the book can be purchased and signed by the author during the reception.