Lost and Found

"Kennedy and Shi make a compelling intervention in debates about China's masculinised sex ratios and how birth planning policies were implemented in rural regions during the 1980s to early 2000s. Overall, this fascinating, provocative and lucid book is a must-read for all scholars of China's history, politics, society, demography and gender." -- Rachel Murphy, Journal of Chinese Political Science "Kennedy and Shi's work constitutes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the 'missing girls phenomenon.' By focusing on the role of local governance, it contributes to our understanding of this trend as such, as well as of Chinese grassroots politics more broadly. It is therefore a must read for anyone interested in the One Child Policy, population control, and local governance in China." -Comparative Politics "It's a rare day that policy relevance, striking new facts, and careful scholarship appear together in one gracefully and powerfully written book. But that day has come with Lost and Found. That millions of girls are only missing in China's statistics, owing to completely understandable reasons that families and local cadres failed to report them, is a finding that the China field and the Chinese government will be coping with for decades to come." -Kevin J. O'Brien, University of California-Berkeley "In this book, two talented scholars from the U.S. and China tell a fascinating story about how China's family planning policy enables local officials and residents to cleverly negotiate a deal that benefits both sides. The authors set a new standard that will lead the research agenda in Chinese local politics for years to come." -Wenfang Tang, University of Iowa "This provocative book will cause us to reconsider the consequences of China's one-child policy. Kennedy and Shi show that the phenomenon of 'hidden girls' may have been much larger than previously thought." -Bruce Dickson, George Washington University