The politically engaged society, the state, policy, comparison - Gordon White's contributions to China studies

Gordon White's contributions to the study of China fall under at least four major rubrics. Most important was his analysis of political engagement by a breathtaking range of social classes and groups in both the Maoist and De ngist periods. Second, he appreciated the role of the state analytically in shaping society's political engagement, and normatively because he thought it had essential social and economic responsibilities. Third, he hoped to influence policy indirectly by providing cautionaries for policy-makers and by writing for and collaborating with social scientists in other countries , especially China. Fourth, he placed China squarely in comparative context s, first of revolutionary socialist states, and then of East Asian developm ental states.