Polity Atlas
Thinker

Sebastian Heilmann

German political scientist at the University of Trier and founding president of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), known for the concept of experimentation under hierarchy in China's policy process.

Source attached · not independently reviewedLast verified 2026-10-01 · revision 10 · 1 reviewersRevision historyЧитать на русском
Influence graph

Key ideas

TheoryExperimentation under hierarchySebastian Heilmann's account of China's reform-era policy process: the centre authorises local pilots, experimental zones and provisional regulations, then generalises what works, while keeping the power to stop experiments and to reward or punish local officials.

Revision history

  1. 2026-10-30rev 10 — Translations import
  2. 2026-10-30rev 9 — Translations import
  3. 2026-10-30rev 8 — Translations import
  4. 2026-10-30rev 7 — Translations import
  5. 2026-10-30rev 6 — Translations import
  6. 2026-10-30rev 5 — Translations import
  7. 2026-10-30rev 4 — Translations import
  8. 2026-10-30rev 3 — Translations import
  9. 2026-10-30rev 2 — Translations import
  10. 2026-10-30rev 1 — Seed import