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Submerged discontent and patterns of accommodation: a case study of doctors' pay in two public hospitals in China
Author(s) -
Cao Xuebing
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the international journal of health planning and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1099-1751
pISSN - 0749-6753
DOI - 10.1002/hpm.2196
Subject(s) - marketization , accommodation , china , context (archaeology) , authoritarianism , public relations , service (business) , public hospital , public service , political science , public administration , business , sociology , nursing , medicine , psychology , law , marketing , politics , geography , neuroscience , democracy , archaeology
SUMMARY The article evaluates submerged discontent among Chinese public hospital doctors (Note1) regarding their pay and patterns of accommodation, including doctors' responses through formal and informal actions in the context of health service marketization. On the basis of a case study of two public hospitals, the article illustrates the dynamical impact of marketization on Chinese doctors' pay‐related dissatisfaction and health service employment relationship. Because of the authoritarian management and compliant trade unions, the conflict between doctors and hospitals is unable to be accommodated through collective methods. Instead, doctors' discontent is often channelled through informal, individual and subtle activities. Meanwhile, doctors' professional society is gradually influential, showing its potential of developing doctors' group identity and protecting members' interests in future. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.