Class in Contemporary China

Class in Contemporary China
Author: David S. G. Goodman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2014-10-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 074568730X

Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2015 More than three decades of economic growth have led to significant social change in the Peoples Republic of China. This timely book examines the emerging structures of class and social stratification: how they are interpreted and managed by the Chinese Communist Party, and how they are understood and lived by people themselves. David Goodman details the emergence of a dominant class based on political power and wealth that has emerged from the institutions of the Party-state; a well-established middle class that is closely associated with the Party-state and a not-so-well-established entrepreneurial middle class; and several different subordinate classes in both the rural and urban areas. In doing so, he considers several critical issues: the extent to which the social basis of the Chinese political system has changed and the likely consequences; the impact of change on the old working class that was the socio-political mainstay of state socialism before the 1980s; the extent to which the migrant workers on whom much of the economic power of the PRC since the early 1980s has been based are becoming a new working class; and the consequences of Chinas growing middle class, especially for politics. The result is an invaluable guide for students and non-specialists interested in the contours of ongoing social change in China.

Handbook on Class and Social Stratification in China

Handbook on Class and Social Stratification in China
Author: Yingjie Guo
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 441
Release: 2016-01-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 178347064X

This comprehensive and interdisciplinary Handbook illustrates the patterns of class transformation in China since 1949, situating them in their historical context. Presenting detailed case studies of social stratification and class formation in a wide range of settings, the expert international contributors provide invaluable insights into multiple aspects of China’s economy, polity and society. The Handbook on Class and Social Stratification in China explores critical contemporary topics which are rarely put in perspective or schematized, therefore placing it at the forefront of progressive scholarship. These include; • state power as a determinant of life chances • women’s social mobility in relation to marriage • the high school entrance exam as a class sorter • class stratification in relation to health • China’s rural migrant workers and labour politics. Eminently readable, this systematic exploration of class and stratification will appeal to scholars and researchers with an interest in class formation, status attainment, social inequality, mobility, development, social policy and politics in China and Asia.

Class and Social Stratification in Post-Revolution China

Class and Social Stratification in Post-Revolution China
Author: James L. Watson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2010-06-24
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521143844

This 1984 book deals with those social transformations which occurred in Chinese society since the revolution in 1949. During the 1950s the Chinese Communist Party introduced a rigid system of class labels (e.g. landlord, rich peasant, middle peasant, landless labourer) based on pre-revolutionary notions of exploitation and property ownership. The class label system was a source of much social discontent during the 1960s and mid-1970s; the official use of labels ceased by the time of this book's publication, but the effects of the system are still felt by millions of Chinese. The book will be of interest to a wide range of readers, not just those who specialise in Chinese social history. Contributors include two anthropologists, one historian, three political scientists, and three sociologists.

Social Stratification in Chinese Societies

Social Stratification in Chinese Societies
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2009-10-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9004182616

The annual is a venue of publication for sociological studies of Chinese societies and the Chinese all over the world. The main focus is on social transformations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the mainland, Singapore and Chinese overseas.

Work and Inequality in Urban China

Work and Inequality in Urban China
Author: Yanjie Bian
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 312
Release: 1994-01-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0791496724

This book offers a systematic analysis of the impact of work organization on the social stratification of individuals in urban China. It explains why economic and labor market segmentation is possible and necessary in state socialism at a certain stage of its development, as in market capitalism, and how important one's work unit or danwei is to the life of socialist workers in Chinese cities. Based on survey data, personal interviews, and official statistics, the author shows that structural allocation, status inheritance, educational achievement, political virtue, and interpersonal connections (guanxi) interplay in determining an individual's opportunities for entering and moving into a desirable place to work, for obtaining Communist party membership and an elite class status, and for receiving material compensation such as wages, bonuses, fringe benefits, housing, and home locations.

The Structure and Evolution of Chinese Social Stratification

The Structure and Evolution of Chinese Social Stratification
Author: Yi Li
Publisher:
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2005
Genre: Social Science
ISBN:

There have been two great shifts of power on the world stage during the past five centuries: the rise of Europe following the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of the United States after its Civil War. As we speak, a new power shift is beginning to take shape: the rise of Asia. Leading Asia's charge toward the world's center stage are the reemerging powers of China and India. To answer and adapt to such new challenges, the United States must develop a thorough understanding of the society of China. This book is a groundbreaking work in China Studies. For generations, China scholars have pursued the structure of Chinese social stratification, but none has completely succeeded in constructing even a single, complete model. The Annual Review of Sociology 2002 reported: "Insufficient research attention has been given to emerging social classes in rural and urban China and existing analysis are hampered by the still evolving nature of social and economic structures in which social classes are in the making. Thus, insightful analysis and reliable assessments are to be called for from future researchers." The Structure & Evolution of Chinese Social Stratification has finally addressed this gap. Dr. Li provides detailed analysis critical to understanding the class structure of Chinese society, both pre-1949 and in the post-Mao era. His explanation of the origin, structure, and evolution of the model will be essential reading material for any introductory student of Chinese society.

China’s Middle Class

China’s Middle Class
Author: Li Youmei
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2021-05-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000388158

This book is a collection of empirical studies on China’s middle class from top-ranking Chinese sociologists, discussing this newly identified social stratum with regard to the basic concept and scope of the group, its functions, formation, identity, consumption, behavior patterns and value system. As the first study of its kind, the analysis of most chapters is based on a rich body of empirical data gathered from rigorous large-scale surveys designed specifically for the Chinese middle class across megacities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The book traces the complex and dynamic formation process of China’s middle class from different perspectives while dealing with issues of social concern such as “rigid social stratification”. The findings shed light on the underlying logic of structural change in Chinese society over several recent decades, with significant policy implications. The book will attract sociologists, students and policymakers interested in social structure, social transformation and middle-income groups in China.

China's Emerging Middle Class

China's Emerging Middle Class
Author: Cheng Li
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2010
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0815704054

Decades ago, there was no distinct middle class in the People's Republic of China. Any meaningful discussion of China's economy, politics, or society must take into account the rapid emergence and explosive growth of the Chinese middle class. This book details the origins and characteristics of this dramatic change.

Higher Education, Meritocracy and Inequality in China

Higher Education, Meritocracy and Inequality in China
Author: Ye Liu
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2016-10-08
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9811015880

This book investigates the changing opportunities in higher education for different social groups during China’s transition from the socialist regime to a market economy. The first part of the book provides a historical and comparative analysis of the development of the idea of meritocracy, since its early origins in China, and in more recent western thought. The second part then explores higher education reforms in China, the part played by supposedly meritocratic forms of selection, and the implications of these for social mobility. Based on original empirical data, Ye Liu sheds light on the socio-economic, gender and geographical inequalities behind the meritocratic façade of the Gaokao (高考). Liu argues that the Chinese philosophical belief in education-based meritocracy had a modern makeover in the Gaokao, and that this ideology induces working-class and rural students to believe in upward social mobility through higher education. When the Gaokao broke the promise of status improvement for rural students, they turned to the Chinese Communist Party and sought political connections by actively applying for its membership. This book reveals a bleak picture of visible and invisible inequality in terms of access to and participation in higher education in contemporary China. Written in an accessible style, it offers a valuable resource for researchers and non-specialist readers alike.