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Daniel A. Bell

Daniel A. Bell is dean of the school of public and social administration at Shandong University in Qingdao, China. This essay draws on his book (co-authored with Wang Pei) Just Hierarchy: Why Social Hierarchies Matter in China and the Rest of the World (Princeton University Press, 2020).
Articles by Daniel A. Bell

China’s Anti-Corruption Campaign and the Challenges of Political Meritocracy

In China, corruption is the mother of political evils. For Confucians, the best life involves serving the community qua public official, and conversely, the worst life involves misuse of public funds for private purposes. Such ideas influence history. Why did the Ming dynasty collapse? Why did the Qing dynasty collapse? There are many reasons, but…

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