Kenneth Lieberthal

Kenneth Guy Lieberthal^[1] (Chinese: 李侃如; pinyin: Lǐ Kǎnrú; born September 9, 1943) is an American political scientist who specializes in Chinese politics.

He is senior fellow in Foreign Policy and Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution, where he was previously a drector of its John L. Thornton China Center.

Early life and education

Lieberthal was born in Asheville, North Carolina, the son of Naomi Lieberthal and Milton Lieberthal.^[2]

In 1965, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from Dartmouth College. He proceeded to attain his graduate training at Columbia University, where he completed a Master of Arts degree and East Asian Institute Certificate in 1968, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in political science (comparative politics) in 1972.

Career

He was the Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Asia at the U.S. National Security Council during the Clinton Administration. He was formerly a professor of political science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he served as an expert on contemporary Chinese political issues. He was also the William Davidson Professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. His research focused on the evolution of China's political economy, multinational corporate investment in China and India, foreign policy decision-making in China, U.S. foreign policy, and Asian security issues. Lieberthal was a professor of political science at Swarthmore College from 1972 to 1983.

At the University of Michigan, in political science, Lieberthal taught the popular "China's Evolution under Communism" for most years from 1983 to 2007. At the Ross School, he taught the "Doing Business with China" MBA course each year through 2008, which generated great interest among business-school students interested in how multinational corporations can succeed in China. The course frequently included invitational lectures from leading experts in the relevant areas, including senior executives of American corporations' China business, as well as China scholars in law, business and social sciences.

Lieberthal serves on numerous academic, non-governmental organization and business-advisory committees and on the editorial boards of six academic journals. His recent work has focused especially at developing ways to increase U.S.–China cooperation on clean energy and climate change. He is a member of the board of the National Committee on United States – China Relations.

Managing the China Challenge

Lieberthal's book Managing the China Challenge: How to Achieve Corporate Success in the People's Republic explores the economic transformation China is undergoing and the opportunities this growth presents for multinational corporations. The book was released in May 2011 by the Brookings Institution Press. In straightforward language, with numerous examples to back up his argument, Lieberthal presents not only how to benefit from doing business in China, but also how to avoid the serious risks that the endeavor entails. The implications that Lieberthal lays out for corporate strategy are wide-ranging and critically important.

"This is a book to read before one begins work in China and to come back to once there. With its comprehensive analysis of challenges and insightful recommended responses, it efficiently points executives in the right direction and helps them avoid the errors that others have made. It has the potential to give any executive a flying start to executing their China strategy." —from the Foreword by Dominic Barton

Selected bibliography

Books

• 1991. Bureaucracy, Politics and Policy Making in Post-Mao China, contributor and co-editor with David M. Lampton. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1991.
• 1991. Perspectives on Modern China: Four Anniversaries, contributor and co-editor. New York City, New York: Myron E. Sharpe.
• 2010. Chinese Politics: New Sources, Methods, and Field Strategies, contributor and co-editor. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
• 2010. Governing China: From Revolution Through Reform, second revised edition. New York City, New York: W.W. Norton, 2004. First edition published in 1995. Translated as Zhili Zhongguo (治理中国). Beijing, China: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Press.
• 2011. Managing the China Challenge: How To Achieve Corporate Success in the People's Republic. (via Google Books). Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.

Papers

• 1978 Sino-Soviet Conflict in the 1970s: Its Evolution and Implications for the Strategic Triangle. RAND Corporation
• 1989. Paths to Sino-American Cooperation in the Automotive Sector, with Michael Flynn, et al. Washington, D.C.: United States Trade Development Program.
• 1997. Constructing China: The Interaction of Culture and Economics, co-editor with Shuen-fu Lin and Ernest Young. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Center for Chinese Studies Monograph Series, vol. no. 78.
• 2006. China's Search For Energy Security and Implications for US Policy (with Mikkal Herberg). Washington, D.C.: National Bureau of Asian Research.
• 2009. Overcoming Obstacles to US–China Cooperation on Climate Change (with David B. Sandalow). Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution.
• 2009. The U.S. Intelligence Community and Foreign Policy: Getting Analysis Right. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution.

Personal life

Lieberthal's wife, Jane Lindsay, is a former university administrator.^[3] One of their sons, Keith, is married to actress Julianna Margulies; Lieberthal became a grandfather when their first son was born. Lieberthal has a second son, named Geoffrey.^[3]

See also

• List of Dartmouth College alumni
• List of Columbia University alumni
• List of Michigan writers
• List of people from North Carolina
• List of University of Michigan faculty and staff

References

External links

• "China’s Search for Energy Security: Implications for U.S. Policy," by Kenneth Lieberthal and Mikkal E. Herberg (NBR Analysis, April 2006)
• Appearances on C-SPAN