Table of Content

01 July 2016, Volume 2 Issue 3

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Understanding inequality in China

Yu Xie

2016, 2(3):  327-347.  doi:10.1177/2057150X16654059

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Drawing on past research, including my own, I set forth the following propositions: (1) inequality in China has been generated and maintained by structural collective mechanisms, such as regions and work units; (2) traditional Chinese political ideology has promoted merit-based inequality, with merit being perceived as functional in improving the collective welfare for ordinary people; and (3) many Chinese people today regard inequality as an inevitable consequence of economic development. Thus, it seems unlikely that social inequality alone would lead to political and social unrest in today’s China.

The Chinese diaspora: The current distribution of the overseas Chinese population

Dudley L Poston Jr and Juyin Helen Wong

2016, 2(3):  348-373.  doi:10.1177/2057150X16655077

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In the present paper we draw on the extensive data resources of the ’Overseas Chinese Affairs Council in Taiwan in an analysis of the overseas Chinese worldwide as of c. 2010. We raise and endeavor to answer four basic questions: (1) How many overseas Chinese are there currently in the world? (2) How are they distributed among the world’s countries and regions? (3) What have been their patterns of population change in past decades? (4) What characteristics of the receiving countries are related to their numbers of overseas Chinese? We begin with a brief discussion of diasporas and present some recent data on the larger of the non-Chinese diasporas to enable us to better evaluate the significance and importance of the Chinese diaspora. We then review the major patterns of previous Chinese emigrations to provide an overall perspective for the presentation of our empirical data on overseas Chinese. This is followed by a discussion of our data and its sources. We then present and analyze our current data on overseas Chinese for the period c. 2010–2011 and answer our four questions.

Why does the homeowners’ cross-neighborhood organizational coalition in Shanghai differ from that in Guangzhou? A city-level comparative analysis of the governance structures and political opportunities (threats)

Ronggui Huang and Yong Gui

2016, 2(3):  374-406.  doi:10.1177/2057150X16649824

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This article presents a comparative study of homeowners' organizational coalitions in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Based on the analyses of the data from documents, first-hand interviews and Internet networks, the homeowners' organizational coalition in Shanghai was found to be weaker than that in Guangzhou. This article proposes an analytical framework that integrates the insights from social movement coalition studies and urban governance studies to explain the differences between the homeowners' cross-neighborhood coalitions in the two cities. Compared with Guangzhou, the property governance system in Shanghai is relatively advanced, and the probability of the homeowners experiencing common threats or severe rights infringements is relatively low; hence, the homeowners in different residential neighborhoods are less likely to collaborate. In addition, the highly developed base level governance structure in Shanghai also has the capacity to pre-empt the radicalization of conflicts and prevent them from becoming city-wide public issues. Finally, the lack of allies within the political system also encourages homeowners' localized collective action at the neighborhood level in Shanghai. Given the responsive nature of contention at the city level in China and the Chinese social management system's dual functions of social control and interest representation, future urban-contention studies should pay attention to the institutional roots of contenders' claims and institutional constraints on collective contention as well as the state's multifaceted roles. On the one hand, the state can, to some extent, pre-empt the emergence of large-scale collective actions through institutional design. On the other hand, the availability of institutional allies plays an important role in facilitating the formation of lateral coalitions.

Networks of social relations and underground economics: A study on a black market of bicycles in Shanghai

Ge Qiang

2016, 2(3):  407-428.  doi:10.1177/2057150X16651774

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Mark Granovetter emphasized the effect of ongoing systems of social relations on economic actions. This essay uses a black market of bicycles as a critical case, based on field work from 2004 to 2008, to study the ongoing interaction between the networks of social relations and the economic actions in the case. I conclude that because of the characteristics of economic actions in the black markets and their environment, individual black market bicycle dealers are faced with a conflict between limited inventory and diversified demands from different customers. However, at the level of all dealers, the inventory is sufficient. Thus, the key issue in the black market is how to deliver information on diversified demands to the right dealer. The networks of social relations can do this. These networks are not based on blood or geographical ties, but originate from economic actions in the black market. The dealers use la guanxi (try to establish a relationship with somebody) to establish initial networks of social relations and jiang yiqi (be loyal to friends) to strengthen them with ongoing economic actions. Because of their function concerning information and trust, the networks soon construct a reciprocal model of transactions, which reduces risks and raises profits. In addition, as information and trust are accumulated through ongoing economic actions, a cartel of purchasing and prices emerges, changes the market again, and further raises profits. In addition, the economic actions, which are based on intermediary activities and the rapid movement of information, prevent the networks from developing into a mafia. The networks can also prevent potential malfeasance in economic actions.

Intergenerational relations and Chinese elderly’s subjective well-being: An analysis of differentials by gender and residence

Li Zhang

2016, 2(3):  429-446.  doi:10.1177/2057150X16657936

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This research examines how intergenerational relations affect the Chinese elderly's subjective well-being, focusing on studying differences by gender and residence. Analyzing data from the 2011 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, the study shows that most forms of intergenerational support (both financial and non-financial) promote the Chinese elderly's positive feelings and reduce their negative feelings. The way in which intergenerational support affects elderly's subjective well-being varies by gender and residence. These findings should encourage future researchers to pay attention to elderly subgroup differentials when studying their subjective well-being.

Paradox in marriage values and behavior in contemporary China

Wei-Jun Jean Yeung and Shu Hu

2016, 2(3):  447-476.  doi:10.1177/2057150X16659019

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Despite a rapidly growing body of literature on marriage behaviors in China, we know very little about the changes or continuities of marriage values that accompany or underlie these behavioral transformations. Using nationally representative samples from the 2006, 2010, 2012, and 2013 Chinese General Social Surveys (CGSS), we investigate the patterns and determinants of marriage values across birth cohorts of men and women. Analyses reveal an increase in acceptance of premarital sex, samegender sex and cohabitation across birth cohorts, but little change in attitudes toward singlehood and out-of-wedlock childbearing, and a slight decline in approval of divorce. Educational attainment and exposure to Western values, measured by Internet usage and English proficiency, are positively related to approval of premarital sex, cohabitation, and same-gender sex, but have no effect on acceptance of out-of-wedlock childbearing. Moreover, attitudes toward premarital sex and cohabitation show a widened gender gap across birth cohorts, with men showing a greater increase in acceptance than women. The results suggest that the Chinese marriage institution has had a unique pattern of evolution that is distinct from that of marriage inWestern society. Desire for the traditional cultural ideal of forming and continuing a family has been unwavering, leading to early and nearly universal marriage. At the same time, longing for increased personal freedom and individualized property rights has weakened the marriage institution in China as manifested in increasing rates of divorce and marital infidelity. We discuss the paradox seen in marriage values and behavior resulting from the influence of state regulations, traditional ideologies, and Westernization.