In the latest paper in the CASE Network Studies and Analyses series, Dr. Wing Thye Woo asks, "What could derail China's high growth?" He draws an analogy between China and a speeding car and predicts that a crash could occur due to: (1)  the breakdown of an economic mechanism (2) a flaw in governance that creates social disorders or (3)  the loss of economic viability e.g. an environmental collapse or an export collapse.

The fact that China has recently declared that its most important task is to build a Harmonious Society (described as a democratic society under the rule of law and living in harmony with nature) suggests that improvements in governance and protection of the environment are among the most serious challenges to achieving sustainable development.

Wing Thye Woo is a senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Professor of Economics at the University of California at Davis, and member of the CASE Advisory council. The paper was presented within the BRE-CASE seminar series on Oct. 11th. Read the abstract and full paper HERE. Video clips of the presentation will be available online by next week.