The IR thinker features in-depth interviews with leading experts in international relations, foreign policy, and global affairs.
The IR thinker is an independent, non-partisan and non-aligned platform. It hosts a wide range of perspectives on international relations but does not endorse any political party, government or ideological position.
Since its first episode in 2023, The IR thinker has produced more than 100 episodes as a pro bono initiative established by Martin Zubko, an international relations scholar and lecturer.
Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The IR thinker features in-depth interviews with leading experts in international relations, foreign policy, and global affairs.
The IR thinker is an independent, non-partisan and non-aligned platform. It hosts a wide range of perspectives on international relations but does not endorse any political party, government or ideological position.
Since its first episode in 2023, The IR thinker has produced more than 100 episodes as a pro bono initiative established by Martin Zubko, an international relations scholar and lecturer.
Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, Chenggang Xu discusses the ideas behind Institutional Genes and how they explain the evolution of political systems from imperial China to modern authoritarian regimes. Join us for a deep dive into the hidden structures that shape power, governance, and global politics.
Chenggang Xu
Chenggang Xu is a Senior Research Scholar, Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions (SCCEI), and Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution.
His research spans institutional economics, political economy, and the Chinese political-economic system. He is known for the concept of regionally decentralised authoritarianism and, in his recent book Institutional Genes: Origins of China’s Institutions and Totalitarianism, explores why China’s institutions developed differently from other systems.
Chenggang Xu’s work is widely cited in both academic and policy circles, and he has been awarded the China Economics Prize and the Sun Yefang Economics Prize for his contributions.
Content
00:00 - Introduction
01:45 - Why this book? The story behind 'Institutional Genes'
06:34 - Defining 'institution' in the institutional genes framework
10:45 - Opening the black box: How institutional genes explain political change
16:29 - The concept of 'stemness' explained
20:01 - Imperial China vs European monarchies: Why China was more autocratic
28:28 - The three Russian genes that created Bolshevism
33:43 - Mao's fusion: Marx plus Qin Shi Huang
38:58 - Soviet vs Chinese communism: Key institutional differences
42:23 - Totalitarian or authoritarian? Defining modern China
48:35 - Tyrannical incentive-compatibility: How totalitarian systems motivate
53:01 - Will China face Soviet-style economic stagnation?
58:52 - Applying institutional genes to foreign policy
01:03:16 - Beyond domestic politics: Where else can we apply this framework?
Official Website:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.