Living Conditions And Targeted Aiding Mechanisms Of The Urban Underclass In China

Based on the approaches of questionnaire and interview, this book studies the urban subalterns formed with a considerable scale in China since the 1990s. By investigating their living status in detail, it depicts the mental conditions, class consciousness, migration, living difficulties and dilemmas of the subaltern class. It’s worth noting that in addition to the group at the bottom of the economic pyramid, this book expands the definition of subaltern by including the deviant underclass. Then it examines the factors causing the living dilemmas and provides suggestions aiming to mitigate them from the perspective of social succor. In the last chapter, this book focuses on the theoretical discussions on subaltern studies. New concepts such as the deviant subaltern group and social vigilance are created, and new theories such as production and transmission mechanism of the subaltern group are put forward.

What is the social structure of Chinese society in the 21st century? How should China address the problem of migrant workers? How can China form a modern society? These key sociological issues are some of the topics this book covers. This book is a collection of the research articles and lectures that Dr. Lu Xueyi, the former Head of the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has published since the 1980s. The author discusses the social structure, social stratification, social construction, and development of contemporary Chinese society. Arguing that the gap between economic and social development has become the major social issue facing modern China, the author advocates paying close attention to the country’s social structure and the growth of the middle class. The book will be of interest for all scholars and students of Sociology and Chinese Studies.

China has experienced radical economic and societal change since the initiation of the reform process in 1978. These changes have greatly affected various aspects of people’s livelihoods and inspired scholars to reconsider the relationship between planning and the market in China. This book is a collection of fourteen papers by Zhao Renwei, the former director of the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. First, the author discusses his views on the relationship between planning and the market in Chinese society before subsequently going on to examine the changes in economic systems of the intervening decades, using examples and economic models, and then drawing conclusions for policy. The book will appeal to students and scholars interested in China’s social and economic reform.

China has experienced radical societal change since the initiation of the reform and openness programme in 1978. These changes have brought about significant income discrepancy between regions, social classes and generations; rendering the fair distribution of income an ever more important socio-economic question. This book is a collection of eleven papers on the income distribution problem in Chinese society from 1978 to the early 21st century authored by Zhao Renwei, the former director of the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The author examines the imbalance in income distribution in Chinese society from a socio-economic perspective and uses a myriad of examples to support his arguments while drawing conclusions as to ways forward for policy makers. The book is an essential reference for students and scholars interested in social and economic reform in Chinese society. It will appeal additionally to policy makers concerned with the question of income distribution.

What is the social structure of Chinese society in the 21st century? How should China address the problem of migrant workers? How can China form a modern society? These key sociological issues are some of the topics this book covers. This book is a collection of the research articles and lectures that Dr. Lu Xueyi, the former Head of the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has published since the 1980s. The author discusses the social structure, social stratification, social construction, and development of contemporary Chinese society. Arguing that the gap between economic and social development has become the major social issue facing modern China, the author advocates paying close attention to the country’s social structure and the growth of the middle class. The book will be of interest to all scholars and students of Sociology and Chinese Studies.

Population is the most influential factor in social development and economic growth, especially in China. In this book, author Tian Xueyuan provides macro illustrations of the main issues confronting China’s population and development in the 21st century and advises on facing population development challenges to sustainable future development. This book explores issues such as the relation between the change of population and consumption, how the age of the working population affects economic structure and transition when above or below the Lewis turning point, the impact of population aging on growth speed and the pension system, how to remove the urban– rural dual structure, how to reform exam- oriented education, and how to balance relations between population, resource, environment, and sustainable growth. The discussions on population– consumption relations, labor– economy relations, urbanization and rural– urban relations, and beyond provide insightful judgment on and prospects for China’s future development. This book is helpful for international audiences to better understand China’s population and development challenges and strategies.

The key challenges facing China in the next two decades derive from the ongoing process of urbanization. China's urbanization rate in 2005 was about 43%. Over the next 10-15 years, it is expected to rise to well over 50%, adding an additional 200 million mainly rural migrants to the current urban population of 560 million. How China copes with such a large migration flow will strongly influence rural-urban inequality, the pace at which urban centers expand their economic performance, and the urban environment. The growing population will necessitate a big push strategy to maintain a high rate of investment in housing and the urban physical infrastructure and urban services. To finance such expansion will require a significant strengthening and diversification of China's financial system. Growing cities will greatly increase consumption of energy and water. Containing this without at the same time constraining the economic performance of cities or the improvement in the standards of living will call for enlightened policies, strategies, careful urban planning, and significant technological advances. This volume identifies the key developments to watch and discusses the policies which would affect the course as well as the fruitfulness of change.

This open access book investigates the link between income inequality and socio-economic residential segregation in 24 large urban regions in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. It offers a unique global overview of segregation trends based on case studies by local author teams. The book shows important global trends in segregation, and proposes a Global Segregation Thesis. Rising inequalities lead to rising levels of socio-economic segregation almost everywhere in the world. Levels of inequality and segregation are higher in cities in lower income countries, but the growth in inequality and segregation is faster in cities in high-income countries. This is causing convergence of segregation trends. Professionalisation of the workforce is leading to changing residential patterns. High-income workers are moving to city centres or to attractive coastal areas and gated communities, while poverty is increasingly suburbanising. As a result, the urban geography of inequality changes faster and is more pronounced than changes in segregation levels. Rising levels of inequality and segregation pose huge challenges for the future social sustainability of cities, as cities are no longer places of opportunities for all.