Randall Peerenboom

TL;DR: The assumption that rule of law is necessary to sustain economic development has not gone unchallenged, however as discussed by the authors pointed out that if the critics are right and rule-of-law is not necessary for sustained economic growth, at least in China, then one of the ruling regime's main incentives for promoting legal reforms will be undercut.

Abstract: The international and transnational nature of modern governance presents major challenges for the rule of law promotion agenda, at a time when the less than stellar results of traditional state-oriented rule of law promotion have led to increased doubts about the wisdom and feasibility of the enterprise. This is the introduction of a volume that seeks to contribute to our understanding of these new dimensions of rule of law promotion. The volume addresses the dynamics of rule of law in an era of international and transnational governance. It uses the term “dynamics” to refer not only to the increasing international and transnational dimensions of rule of law promotion, but also to the interaction between the international and domestic levels of law. It conceptualizes these levels as a two-way relationship: international law influences rule of law development at the domestic and local levels; at the same time, precisely because of its potential effects, rule of law standards are being sought at the international level itself.

TL;DR: In this article, Peerenboom explores China's economy, political and legal system, and most controversially, its record on civil, political, and personal rights in the context of the developing world and compares China's performance not with first world countries such as the US and UK but with other middle income countries and highlights the often hypocritical stance of an international community which demands standards from others that it does not match at home.