Podcast: How State Capitalism is Transforming the World

Play Button Pause Button
0:00 0:00
x
Episode Guests
  • Elizabeth C. Economy
    Senior Fellow for China Studies

Show Notes

In this week’s Asia Unbound podcast I speak with Joshua Kurlantzick, CFR’s senior fellow for Southeast Asia, about his new book, State Capitalism: How the Return of Statism is Transforming the World. Kurlantzick explains that although state capitalism has been around for more than two decades, it has entered a new era of popularity. At its best, it can be a force for good in which governments, such as those in Singapore and Norway, use the profits from these state-owned companies to fund infrastructure projects, create jobs, and promote models of transparent corporate governance. Oftentimes, however, particularly under authoritarian regimes, such as those in China and Russia, states wield their companies as tools of the state rather than as profit generators that create wealth for average citizens. This breed of state company can stifle entrepreneurship, concentrate profits among rentier elites, and serve as powerful economic weapons against other states. Listen below as Kurlantzick describes the importance of state capitalism in today’s global economy and the challenge it may present to U.S. interests.

China

First came Mao, then came Deng, now Chinese President Xi Jinping has ushered in the Third Revolution, introducing sweeping reforms throughout the government, economy, and society. Unlike past leaders…

China

Under President Xi Jinping, China’s era of opening up and reform has drawn to an end, and a new era—one marked by the consolidation of power under Xi himself—has dawned. In his new book, End of an Er…

China

With over 5,000 years of history, modern China must be understood through the lens of its past. In his recent book, Bully of Asia: Why China's Dream is the New Threat to World Order, Steven Mosher ar…

Top Stories on CFR

Russia

Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at CFR, and Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the future of U.S. policy toward Russia and the risks posed by heightened tensions between two nuclear powers. This episode is the first in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Violence around U.S. elections in 2024 could not only destabilize American democracy but also embolden autocrats across the world. Jacob Ware recommends that political leaders take steps to shore up civic trust and remove the opportunity for violence ahead of the 2024 election season.

China

Those seeking to profit from fentanyl and governments seeking to control its supply are locked in a never-ending competition, with each new countermeasure spurring further innovation to circumvent it.