Workers and Change in China
Resistance, Repression, Responsiveness

Rising labour unrest is changing Chinese governance from below; Elfstrom shows that this is occurring in unexpected and contradictory ways.

Manfred Elfstrom (Author)

9781108926348, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 10 November 2022

252 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.417 kg

'Manfred Elfstrom has written an innovative and compelling book on worker resistance and industrial relations in China … Elfstrom's book is a significant and successful attempt to bridge the gaps between different streams of literature. … this book is an outstanding one about the pioneering attempts to understand the new developments in labor politics and its broader implications on the Chinese economy, society and politics. It is very successful in providing rich case studies, statistical analysis and substantial policy implications and recommendations. It is a precious resource for researchers and policymakers.' Zhiming Cheng, Eurasian Geography and Economics

Strikes, protests, and riots by Chinese workers have been rising over the past decade. The state has addressed a number of grievances, yet has also come down increasingly hard on civil society groups pushing for reform. Why are these two seemingly clashing developments occurring simultaneously? Manfred Elfstrom uses extensive fieldwork and statistical analysis to examine both the causes and consequences of protest. The book adopts a holistic approach, encompassing national trends in worker–state relations, local policymaking processes and the dilemmas of individual officials and activists. Instead of taking sides in the old debate over whether non-democracies like China's are on the verge of collapse or have instead found ways of maintaining their power indefinitely, it explores the daily evolution of autocratic rule. While providing a uniquely comprehensive picture of change in China, this important study proposes a new model of bottom-up change within authoritarian systems more generally.

1. Introduction
2. Recipes for Resistance
3. Bureaucratic Incentives
4. Orthodox Control
5. Risk-Taking Control
6. Increased Repressive and Responsive Capacity
7. Bottom-Up versus Top-Down Change
8. Conclusion
Appendices
References.

Subject Areas: Political oppression & persecution [JPVR], Political control & freedoms [JPV], Comparative politics [JPB], Political science & theory [JPA]