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Chinese Trade Unions in the Transition from Socialism: Towards Corporatism or Civil Society?
Author(s) -
White Gordon
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
british journal of industrial relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.665
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-8543
pISSN - 0007-1080
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8543.1996.tb00483.x
Subject(s) - corporatism , china , civil society , context (archaeology) , state (computer science) , socialism , political science , political economy , industrial relations , transition (genetics) , economic system , sociology , economics , politics , law , communism , paleontology , biochemistry , chemistry , algorithm , computer science , gene , biology
The article explores the changing role of China's trade unions in the era of post‐Mao economic reform in the light of two alternative scenarios of organizational evolution—corporatism and civil society. Using interviews and survey materials as well as documentary evidence, it concludes that the increasing complexity of the Chinese economy and the tensions it is producing are creating an associational universe of workers' organizations which is diverse and volatile, embodying elements of both scenarios. In such a context, corporatist industrial relations will be difficult to establish and maintain and it is likely that, in relations between unions and the party‐state, the principles of corporatist inclusion and free association will come into increasing conflict.