Transforming Chinese Enterprises: Ideology, Efficiency and Instrumentalism in the Process of Reform

The article provides an in-depth analysis of the complex dynamics between the socialist ideology, economic efficiency and legal instrumentalism in China. The analysis shows that many legal rules relating to the governance of Chinese companies can be better understood within the broader ideological context. The article argues that while a large body of Western style business organization laws has emerged to accommodate China's efficiency-oriented enterprise reforms, this process of legal transplants has been constrained within the realm of official ideologies. It further argues that the evolution of Chinese company law will continue to be shaped by the Chinese official ideology, despite the constant shifts in the interpretations of the ideology.