Zhao Wei, Zhou Xueguang
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA.
Stanford University, USA.
Soc Sci Res. 2017 Mar;63:19-35. doi: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2016.09.002. Epub 2016 Sep 13.
Focusing on the changing roles of organizations, this study develops an institutional framework to examine the shifting stratification order since the mid-1990s in urban China. We argue that, after the mid-1990s, the Chinese state led a dual process of institutional transformation. On the one hand, the state dismantled the socialist redistributive system and broke down institutional segmentation based on organizational ownership and bureaucratic rank. On the other hand, the state developed different markets with various paces and strategies, resulting in fragmented market environments. In this context, reformed organizations interacted with heterogeneous market conditions to exert different impacts on multiple dimensions of social inequality. We draw empirical evidence from two national survey data collected in 1994 and 2003 during a critical period. Our findings show that the foundation of the stratification order has shifted from institutional segmentation to market fragmentation in urban China. This study calls for substantive institutional analysis to better understand the intricate landscape of social inequality in transitional economies.
本研究聚焦于组织角色的变化，构建了一个制度框架，以考察自20世纪90年代中期以来中国城市分层秩序的转变。我们认为，20世纪90年代中期以后，中国政府主导了一个双重的制度转型过程。一方面，政府拆除了社会主义再分配体系，打破了基于组织所有权和行政级别进行的制度分割。另一方面，政府以不同的速度和策略发展不同的市场，导致市场环境碎片化。在这种背景下，经过改革的组织与异质性的市场条件相互作用，对社会不平等的多个维度产生了不同的影响。我们从1994年和2003年关键时期收集的两项全国性调查数据中获取了实证证据。我们的研究结果表明，中国城市分层秩序的基础已从制度分割转向市场碎片化。本研究呼吁进行实质性的制度分析，以更好地理解转型经济体中社会不平等的复杂格局。
