The Middle Class in Neoliberal China

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0415501350
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (155 download)

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Book Synopsis The Middle Class in Neoliberal China by : Hai Ren

Download or read book The Middle Class in Neoliberal China written by Hai Ren and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the late 1970s, China's move towards neoliberalism has made it not only one of the world's fastest growing economies, but also one of the most polarised states. This economic, social and political transformation has led to the emergence of a new Chinese middle class, and understanding the development and the role of this new social group is crucial to understanding contemporary Chinese society. Investigating the new politics of the middle class in China, this book addresses three major questions. First, how does the Chinese state deal with problems of national sovereignty and political representation to create the middle class both as a legitimate category of the people and as an ideal norm of citizenship? Second, how does the recognition of the middle class norm take place in the practice of everyday life? Finally, what kind of risks does the politics of the middle class generate not only for middle class subjects but also for the disenfranchised? In answering these questions, this book examines a set of practices, bodies of knowledge, measures, and institutions that aim to manage, govern, control, and orient the behaviours, gestures, and thoughts of Chinese citizens. This investigation contributes not only to the understanding of the Chinese middle class society but also to the scholarly debate over the relationship between governmental apparatuses, subjectification, and life-building. Drawing on ethnographic information, historical archives, and the media, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars working in the fields of Chinese studies, Chinese politics, ethnic studies and urban studies, as well as those interested in culture, society, class and welfare.

The Middle Class in Emerging Societies

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317510763
Total Pages : 243 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (175 download)

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Book Synopsis The Middle Class in Emerging Societies by : Leslie L. Marsh

Download or read book The Middle Class in Emerging Societies written by Leslie L. Marsh and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-10-23 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines the discursive construction of the meanings and lifestyle practices of the middle class in the rapidly transforming economies of Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, focusing on the social, political and cultural implications at local and global levels. While drawing a comparative analysis of what it means to be middle class in these different locations, the essays offer a connective understanding of the middle class phenomenon in emerging market economies and lay the groundwork for future research on emerging, transitional societies. The book addresses three key dimensions: the discursive creation of the middle class, the construction of the cultural identity through consumption practices and lifestyle choices, and the social, political and cultural consequences related to globalization and neoliberalism.

The New Middle Class in China

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137297441
Total Pages : 237 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (372 download)

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Book Synopsis The New Middle Class in China by : E. Tsang

Download or read book The New Middle Class in China written by E. Tsang and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-05-29 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on interviews with entrepreneurs, professionals and regional party cadres' from a range of age groups, this book argues that Western class categories do not directly apply to China and that the Chinese new middle class is distinguished more by socio-cultural than by economic factors.

China's Emerging Middle Class

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Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 081570433X
Total Pages : 417 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

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Book Synopsis China's Emerging Middle Class by : Cheng Li

Download or read book China's Emerging Middle Class written by Cheng Li and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010-10-01 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rapid emergence and explosive growth of China's middle class have enormous consequences for that nation's domestic future, for the global economy, and for the whole world. In China's Emerging Middle Class, noted scholar Cheng Li and a team of experts focus on the sociopolitical ramifications of the birth and growth of the Chinese middle class over the past two decades. The contributors, from diverse disciplines and different regions, examine the development and evolution of China's middle class from a variety of analytical perspectives. What is its educational and occupational makeup? Are its members united by a common identity—by a shared political vision and worldview? How does the Chinese middle class compare with its counterparts in other countries? The contributors shed light on these and many other issues pertaining to the rapid rise of the middle class in the Middle Kingdom. Contributors: Jie Chen (Old Dominion University), Deborah Davis (Yale University), Bruce J. Dickson (George Washington University), Geoffrey Gertz (Brookings), Han Sang-Jin (Seoul National University), Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao (National Taiwan University), Homi Kharas (Brookings), Li Chunling (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Jing Lin (University of Maryland–College Park), Sida Liu (University of Wisconsin– Madison), Lu Hanlong (Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences), Joyce Yanyun Man (Peking University–Lincoln Center), Ethan Michelson (Indiana University–Bloomington), Qin Chen (Hohai University), Xiaoyan Sun (Beijing Foreign Studies University), Luigi Tomba (Australian National University), Jianying Wang (Yale University), and Zhou Xiaohong (Nanjing University).

Middle Class China

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Author :
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1781005710
Total Pages : 219 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (81 download)

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Book Synopsis Middle Class China by : David S. G. Goodman

Download or read book Middle Class China written by David S. G. Goodman and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A general expectation has developed that ChinaÕs middle class will generate not only social but also political change. This expectation often overlooks the reality that there is no single Chinese middle class with a common identity or will to action. This timely volume examines the behaviour and identity of the different elements of ChinaÕs middle class Ð entrepreneurs, managers, and professionals Ð in order to understand their centrality to the wider processes of social and political change in China. The expert contributors seek to identify the social space occupied by the Chinese middle class rather than identifying social backgrounds and attitudes. In so doing they explore socio-political issues, the development of a consumer society, relationships between gender and class in the workplace, home-ownership and the appearance of gated communities, and the political interaction between the Party-state and the entrepreneurial middle classes and their impact on the new institutional economics. Providing a more nuanced understanding of the structure of the middle class in China and identifying dynamic elements in their behaviour, this unique book will prove a fascinating and thought provoking read for academics, students and researchers with an interest in Asian studies and public policy.

The Rise of the Middle Class in Contemporary China

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 9811950997
Total Pages : 347 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (119 download)

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Book Synopsis The Rise of the Middle Class in Contemporary China by : Hainan Su

Download or read book The Rise of the Middle Class in Contemporary China written by Hainan Su and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-01-01 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book portrays the middle class in contemporary China with plain language and precise professional knowledge in an all-round, broad and responsible way from the perspectives of income, property, profession, education, consumption, investment, physiological and behavioral characteristics, history and development. It gives, in a logical order, the reasons for stimulating the rise of the middle class in contemporary China. It emphatically describes what the middle class is and what the middle class in contemporary China looks like. It also analyzes whether the middle class can rise in China and sheds light on the basic thinking, medium and long-term goals, main measures and current work priorities for achieving full rise of the middle class in contemporary China. As China becomes the world's largest economy, the new middle class will be the Chinese people facing the world; as such, this book will be of interest to sociologists, sinologists, political scientists, and economists.

Being Middle Class in China

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Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1317284747
Total Pages : 150 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (172 download)

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Book Synopsis Being Middle Class in China by : Ying Miao

Download or read book Being Middle Class in China written by Ying Miao and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2016-11-25 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many studies of the Chinese middle class focus on defining it and viewing its significance for economic development and its potential for sociopolitical modernisation. This book goes beyond such objective approaches and considers middle class people’s subjective understanding and diverse experiences of class. Based on extensive original research including social surveys and detailed interviews, the book explores who the middle class think they are, what they think about a wide range of socioeconomic and sociopolitical issues, and why they think as they do. It examines attitudes towards the welfare state, social inequality, nationalism, relations with foreign countries and opinions on many social controversies, thereby portraying middle class people as more than simply luxury consumers and potential agents of democracy. The book concludes that a clear class identity and political consciousness have yet to emerge, but that middle class attitudes are best characterised as searching for a balance between old and new, the traditional and the foreign, the principled and the pragmatic.

The Making of the Chinese Middle Class

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137393394
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (373 download)

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Book Synopsis The Making of the Chinese Middle Class by : Jean-Louis Rocca

Download or read book The Making of the Chinese Middle Class written by Jean-Louis Rocca and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-11-07 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyses the making of the Chinese middle class that started in the 1990s using a constructivist approach. With the development of the Chinese economy, a new group of middle wage earners appeared. Chinese social scientists and state institutions promoted the idea that China needs a middle class to achieve modernization. Middle class members are defined—and define themselves—as good consumers, educated people, politically engaged but reasonable citizens. As such, the making of the middle class is the result of three convergent phenomena: an attempt to define the middle class, a process of civilization, and the development of protest movements. The making of the Chinese middle class, Rocca argues, is a way to end the stalemate that modern Chinese society is facing, in particular the necessity to democratize without introducing an election system.

The Chinese Lifestyle

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Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000829472
Total Pages : 139 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis The Chinese Lifestyle by : Alfonso Sanchez-Romera

Download or read book The Chinese Lifestyle written by Alfonso Sanchez-Romera and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-01-13 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The research presented in this book explores the formation of the middle class in contemporary urban China. Including case studies on middle-class professionals living in Beijing, this book analyses how social and economic changes to Chinese society create a middle-class lifestyle and new forms of distinction with a particular focus on the social construction of identity. Looking through the lens of individuals’ perception of life trajectories and ideological taxonomies generated within the framework of post-Maoist China, the book uncovers the role that the Chinese middle-class play in a state-sponsored discourse and where the distinctions identifying the middle-class lifestyle produce inequality, transfer privilege, and disadvantage in contemporary urban China. It goes on to question hegemonic discourses on class, arguing that a middle-class identity is progressively constructed in urban China not only though consumption practices, but through the experience of non-individualistic activities in both the public and private spheres. Analyzing how social distinctions are performed contributes to the understanding of the Chinese middle-class pre-pandemic, as well as the continual challenges this social group shall face in the years to come. As such, this is a must read for those interested in the Chinese middle-class, Chinese politics, and gender studies.

The Rising Middle Classes in China

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781844644452
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (444 download)

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Book Synopsis The Rising Middle Classes in China by : Chunling Li

Download or read book The Rising Middle Classes in China written by Chunling Li and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: China's high-speed economic growth has created a burgeoning middle class. Despite its relatively low proportion in terms of the total population, its absolute number is considerable given China's huge population. According to conservative estimates, the Chinese middle class currently total over 100 million people. Some Chinese scholars predict that the middle class will account for 40% of China's population in the next decade, amounting to approximately 400 million. This is a huge number of people, who will exert considerable influence on China's social, economic, cultural and political sectors. This key new book gathers together the latest research results from renowned Chinese scholars who have comprehensively examined the formation of China's middle class. The coverage takes in key background issues, socioeconomic status and sociopolitical functions, the definition, values, social attitudes, income and consumption characteristics of China's rapidly expanding middle class. The Rising Middle Classes in China is divided into four parts: Observing China's Emerging Middle Class from Multiple Perspectives; Definition, Composition and Scale of China's Middle Class; Identity and Social Attitudes of China's Middle Class; Socioeconomic Status of China's Middle Class. Based on extensive survey data and case analysis, this critical new book outlines the formation process and current status of China's middle class, and predicts its future development and influence on the sociopolitical transformation of China in the 21st century. As well as appealing to all social scientists both students and academics this book will serve as an essential resource for business people around the world who want to better identify and understand a phenomenon which will impact the prosperity and opportunities of peoples and businesses around the world for generations to come

Embodying Middle Class Gender Aspirations

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 9811611394
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (116 download)

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Book Synopsis Embodying Middle Class Gender Aspirations by : Kailing Xie

Download or read book Embodying Middle Class Gender Aspirations written by Kailing Xie and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-04-25 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book takes a feminist approach to analyse the lives of well-educated urban Chinese women, who were raised to embody the ideals of a modern Chinese nation and are largely the beneficiaries of the policy changes of the post-Mao era. It explores young women’s gendered attitudes to and experiences of marriage, reproductive choices, careers and aspirations for a good life. It sheds light on what keeps mainstream Chinese middle-class women conforming to the current gender regime. It illuminates the contradictory effects of neoliberal techniques deployed by a familial authoritarian regime on these women’s striving for success in urban China, and argues that, paradoxically, women’s individualistic determination to succeed has often led them onto the path of conformity by pursuing exemplary norms which fit into the party-state’s agenda.

THE CHINESE DREAM: The Rise of the World's Largest Middle Class and What It Means to You

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Author :
Publisher : Bestseller Press
ISBN 13 : 1617891657
Total Pages : 123 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (178 download)

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Book Synopsis THE CHINESE DREAM: The Rise of the World's Largest Middle Class and What It Means to You by : Helen H. Wang

Download or read book THE CHINESE DREAM: The Rise of the World's Largest Middle Class and What It Means to You written by Helen H. Wang and published by Bestseller Press. This book was released on with total page 123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (2nd Edition: July 6, 2012) In The Chinese Dream, a groundbreaking book about the rising middle class in China, Forbes columnist and China expert Helen Wang challenges us to recognize that some of our fears about China are grossly misplaced. As a result of China's new capitalist paradigm, a burgeoning middle class-calculated to reach 800 million within the next fifteen years-is jumping aboard the consumerism train and riding it for all it's worth-a reality that may provide the answer to America's economic woes. And with China's increasing urbanization and top-down governmental approach, it now faces increasing energy, environmental, and health problems-problems that the U.S. can help solve. Through timely interviews, personal stories, and a historical perspective, China-born Wang takes us into the world of the Chinese entrepreneurial middle class to show how a growing global mindset and the realization of unity in diversity may ultimately provide the way to creating a saner, safer world for all.

China’s Middle Class

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Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000388158
Total Pages : 286 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (3 download)

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Book Synopsis China’s Middle Class by : Li Youmei

Download or read book China’s Middle Class written by Li Youmei and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2021-05-12 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a collection of empirical studies on China’s middle class from top-ranking Chinese sociologists, discussing this newly identified social stratum with regard to the basic concept and scope of the group, its functions, formation, identity, consumption, behavior patterns and value system. As the first study of its kind, the analysis of most chapters is based on a rich body of empirical data gathered from rigorous large-scale surveys designed specifically for the Chinese middle class across megacities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The book traces the complex and dynamic formation process of China’s middle class from different perspectives while dealing with issues of social concern such as “rigid social stratification”. The findings shed light on the underlying logic of structural change in Chinese society over several recent decades, with significant policy implications. The book will attract sociologists, students and policymakers interested in social structure, social transformation and middle-income groups in China.

Consumption Patterns Of The Middle Class In Contemporary China

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Author :
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 9813230347
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (132 download)

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Book Synopsis Consumption Patterns Of The Middle Class In Contemporary China by : Zhu Di

Download or read book Consumption Patterns Of The Middle Class In Contemporary China written by Zhu Di and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2018-03-13 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, set against the background of accounts of globalisation, aims to figure out the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, in particular how the new elements in consumer orientation operate in the Chinese context. It focuses on the contemporary middle class. Data used in the book are taken from national representative surveys conducted in the recent decade and also from 30 interviews with middle class people in Beijing. The book focuses on the consumption patterns from everyday consumption, taste and material culture. It highlights consumers' self-referential orientations: the pursuit of pleasure, tempered by considerations regarding comfort, is a significant form of aesthetic justification. Living within one's means i.e. keeping a balance between expenditure and income is the main moral justification. Consumers' orientations draw on a new set of elements, conceptualised in this research as "the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort." This orientation is shaped by social conventions, traditional values and the metropolitan context. The findings challenge the stereotype of the Chinese "new rich" and the one-dimensional pictures of tendencies towards either conspicuous display or frugality. Contents: Introduction Theoretical Approaches from the Sociology of Consumption The Formation of the Contemporary Middle Class The Emergence of Consumer Culture Research Methodology Characteristics of the Middle Class and Their Consumption Patterns Homeownership of the Young Middle Class Everyday Consumption of the Middle Class Consumption and Social Conventions Taste and Material Aspiration Conclusion Readership: Policymakers, professionals, academics, undergraduate and graduate students interested in China's new rich and the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China. Keywords: Consumption;Middle Class;China Study;Taste;Consumer Culture;SurveyReview: Key Features: This book employs systematic methodology and framework to analyze consumer culture of the middle class, which could generate both academic and marketing significance This book draws on a new and distinct conceptualization of the Chinese middle class as "the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort," to be opposed to the popular depiction of their being either conspicuous or frugal The author, with her work and life experiences in both China and the UK, has conducted academic practices in multiple contexts and witnessed consumer culture of the Chinese middle class in both China and overseas; these experiences therefore empower the book with more comprehensive and penetrating insights

The Middle Class in Neoliberal China

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136169407
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (361 download)

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Book Synopsis The Middle Class in Neoliberal China by : Hai Ren

Download or read book The Middle Class in Neoliberal China written by Hai Ren and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-02-11 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the late 1970s, China’s move towards neoliberalism has made it not only one of the world’s fastest growing economies, but also one of the most polarised states. This economic, social and political transformation has led to the emergence of a new Chinese middle class, and understanding the development and the role of this new social group is crucial to understanding contemporary Chinese society. Investigating the new politics of the middle class in China, this book addresses three major questions. First, how does the Chinese state deal with problems of national sovereignty and political representation to create the middle class both as a legitimate category of the people and as an ideal norm of citizenship? Second, how does the recognition of the middle class norm take place in the practice of everyday life? Finally, what kind of risks does the politics of the middle class generate not only for middle class subjects but also for the disenfranchised? In answering these questions, this book examines a set of practices, bodies of knowledge, measures, and institutions that aim to manage, govern, control, and orient the behaviours, gestures, and thoughts of Chinese citizens. This investigation contributes not only to the understanding of the Chinese middle class society but also to the scholarly debate over the relationship between governmental apparatuses, subjectification, and life-building. Drawing on ethnographic information, historical archives, and the media, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars working in the fields of Chinese studies, Chinese politics, ethnic studies and urban studies, as well as those interested in culture, society, class and welfare.

Chinese Middle Classes

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135043205
Total Pages : 326 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (35 download)

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Book Synopsis Chinese Middle Classes by : Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao

Download or read book Chinese Middle Classes written by Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-12-17 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The formation and characteristics of a nation’s middle class are shaped by historical context and the developmental path that has been followed. However, can the same be said of the ethnic Chinese middle classes in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and Macao? Given the divergent political and economic experiences under which the respective middle classes were created, established, shaped, and reshaped, can they still be characterized as a homogenous group of ‘Chinese middle classes’, or are they more unique within each country? Using systematic survey data analysis and case studies to examine and compare the emerging middle classes in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and Urban China, this book explores whether the middle classes in these countries possess any uniquely ‘Chinese’ features, or if these are shared attributes that can be found in other non-Chinese middle classes in the Asia-Pacific region. It analyses the formation, profile, culture, lifestyles, mobility, and politics of the middle class groups in each country, and highlights the differences and similarities that emerge, and focuses in particular on increased mobility, financial resilience, class anxiety, and political interest and effectiveness. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars interested in Asian middle classes, Chinese studies, Chinese societies, Chinese ethnicity and Chinese politics.

A Middle Class Without Democracy

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199841640
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis A Middle Class Without Democracy by : Jie Chen

Download or read book A Middle Class Without Democracy written by Jie Chen and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-03-19 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What kind of role can the middle class play in potential democratization in such an undemocratic, late developing country as China? To answer this profound political as well as theoretical question, Jie Chen explores attitudinal and behavioral orientation of China's new middle class to democracy and democratization. Chen's work is based on a unique set of data collected from a probability-sample survey and in-depth interviews of residents in three major Chinese cities, Beijing, Chengdu and Xi'an--each of which represents a distinct level of economic development in urban China-in 2007 and 2008. The empirical findings derived from this data set confirm that (1) compared to other social classes, particularly lower classes, the new Chinese middle class-especially those employed in the state apparatus-tends to be more supportive of the current Party-state but less supportive of democratic values and institutions; (2) the new middle class's attitudes toward democracy may be accounted for by this class's close ideational and institutional ties with the state, and its perceived socioeconomic wellbeing, among other factors; (3) the lack of support for democracy among the middle class tends to cause this social class to act in favor of the current state but in opposition to democratic changes. The most important political implication is that while China's middle class is not likely to serve as the harbinger of democracy now, its current attitudes toward democracy may change in the future. Such a crucial shift in the middle class's orientation toward democracy can take place, especially when its dependence on the Party-state decreases and perception of its own social and economic statuses turns pessimistic. The key theoretical implication from the findings suggests that the attitudinal and behavioral orientations of the middle class-as a whole and as a part-toward democratic change in late developing countries are contingent upon its relationship with the incumbent state and its perceived social/economic wellbeing, and the middle class's support for democracy in these countries is far from inevitable.