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The so-called “capitalism with Chinese characteristics”, with its astonishing economic achievements, is not only shaping the present and future of the world economies, but is also increasingly gaining appeal as an alternative model in the developing world. This research project aims to provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese mix of state intervention and capitalism. The “sustainable development imperatives”, which the Chinese government has identified as the main means to balance the country’s unpredictable growth, are the lenses through which the analysis is carried out.

The so-called “capitalism with Chinese characteristics”, with its astonishing economic achievements, is not only shaping the present and future of the world economies, but is also increasingly gaining appeal as an alternative model in the developing world. This research project aims to provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese mix of state intervention and capitalism. The “sustainable development imperatives”, which the Chinese government has identified as the main means to balance the country’s unpredictable growth, are the lenses through which the analysis is carried out.

Sustainability has quickly become the rubric under which advancements in the social, economic and political domains must be achieved in China. The design of future world trajectories must take into account also how improvements in this field evolve in the country. Under the project, this has been pursued by investigating a) what the rhetoric of the ‘harmonious society’ stands for, both at a social and economic level; b) where it is headed to and c) how these goals are achieved. The analysis involves also a closer look at how political, social and cultural forces contribute to shaping the engagement of domestic as well as foreign companies towards society and the environment.