Freakonomics Radio
647. China Is Run by Engineers. America Is Run by Lawyers.
This episode isn’t summarized yet
Create a free account and summarize it. In a few minutes you’ll have the key takeaways and a section-by-section summary.
Show notes
In his new book “Breakneck,” Dan Wang argues that the U.S. has a lot to learn from China. He also says that “no two peoples are more alike.” We have questions.
- SOURCES:
- Dan Wang, research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, author of Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future.
- RESOURCES:
- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, by Dan Wang (2025).
- The Anaconda in the Chandelier: Writings on China, by Perry Link (2025).
- "Is the U.S. Ready for the Next War?" by Dexter Filkins (The New Yorker, 2025).
- "How smartphones made Shenzhen China’s innovation capital," by Dan Wang (2016).
- How China Escaped the Poverty Trap, by Yuen Yuen Ang (2016).
- The Art of Not Being Governed, by Jame Scott (2009).
- EXTRAS:
- "The Engineering State and the Lawyerly Society: Dan Wang on his new book 'Breakneck,'" by the Sinica Podcast (2025).
- "Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China?" by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.