The State and Life Chances in Urban China
Redistribution and Stratification, 1949–1994

This book presents a systematic study of social stratification processes in urban China, from 1949 to 1994.

Xueguang Zhou (Author)

9780521153843, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 June 2010

400 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.59 kg

"This volume offers the most comprehensive study of social stratification in Socialist China to date." - China Review International, Xiaojun Wang, University of Hawai'i

This book presents a systematic study of social stratification processes in urban China, from 1949 to 1994. Based on the life histories of a sample of urban residents from 20 Chinese cities, this book addresses two themes: (1) the interplay between redistribution and social stratification under state socialism in urban China, especially the impact of the state and state policies on individual life chances, in such areas as education, labor force participation, promotion in organizations, and the distribution of manifest and latent economic benefits; (2) an assessment of sources and extent of China's economic transformation since the 1980s. The author blends sociological analysis and sensitivity to the historical context in interpreting changes and continuity in the 45-year history of state socialist China. This is a comprehensive and rigorous study of social stratification in China.

List of figures
List of tables
Preface
Credit line
1. Redistribution and stratification dynamics under State Socialism
2. Overview: historical context and research design
Part I. Redistribution and Stratification Dynamics: Empirical Evidence: 3. Education stratification
4. Entry into the labor force: patterns of first-job attainment
5. Children of the Cultural Revolution: the send-down episode
6. Climbing the political ladder: bureaucratic career patterns
Part II. Assessing Institutional Changes in the Post-Mao Era: 7. Economic transformation and changes in income inequality
8. Redistribution and latent economic benefits
9. Institutional changes and patterns of job shifts
10. Economic transformation and life chances: a life-course perspective
Part III. Summary and Conclusion: 11. Social stratification under State Socialism: summary and assessment
12. Stratification dynamics and institutional transformation
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Sociology & anthropology [JH], Regional studies [GTB]