Table of Content

20 November 2007, Volume 27 Issue 6

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Articles

SelfAction and SelfManagement: Understanding Why the Chinese People Regard SelfManagement as Their First Choice in Market Practice

Wang Hejian

2007, 27(6):  1-1 . 

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What makes the Chinese people regard selfmanagement as their first choice in market practice? This paper presents the assumption that selfaction is the fundamental drive that influences and determines this choice. The sense of autonomy arising from the Self is the subjective force directing the Chinese to favor selfmanagement as a way of market participation; whereas operating upon the relations among family members and friends from the relational rationality is the objective force determining whether social resources can be obtained, and thereby, selfmanagement can be realized. This assumption gives explanations for the two prominent characteristics of Chinese private enterprises: rapid growth and small size. It also allows us to make an extended explanation for the two alternative strategies (i.e., shared management and employment) that the Chinese take in their market participation, and their consequences as well.


The Scholars in a Reputation Crisis——Research on the Social Status of Today’s Intellectuals

Liu Yaqiu

2007, 27(6):  29-29 . 

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This paper discusses the social status and reputation of the scholars from the perspective of social stratification. Although it cannot be denied that the status of the scholars as a group has been on the rise during the socioeconomic development and in the nation’s strategic plan， and that they have enjoyed gains in finances and social status， it is not yet the time to say that they are the beneficiaries of the reform. Scholars’ involvement in social reality does not necessarily predict an improvement of their power or reputation. As the traditional scholar image is being undermined today， what the scholars need is more than selfreflection or selfdiscipline， because selfdiscipline by scholars alone is not the radical resolution to the problem. Facing such complex social strata (e.g.， the problem of crossstrata hatred)， scholars should not passively accept strata rebuilding.



State Socialist Market Transition: Issues and Debates

Zhang Huanhua

2007, 27(6):  54-54 . 

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Research on market transition typically comprises four fundamental issues: changes in the returns of all kinds of capitals (especially political capital and human capital), the generalization of Victor Nee’s Market Transition Theory， property rights transformation, and the yettocome end of the market transition. This review tries to depict the knowledge trajectories of all these issues and highlight the theoretical interrelations among them. When it comes to the discussion of institutional changes， researchers of market transition in contemporary China and Eastern European countries are supposed to assign to the state a central role in the largescale institutional transition and be aware that such institutional transition includes changes not only in the formal institution itself but also in the informal constraints.



Engaging in “Overseas China Studies” Within China? ——The Standpoint and the Pathway of China Studies

Lü Dewen

2007, 27(6):  80-80 . 

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The transition from overseas China studies to China studies is in fact the process during which China as the research object becomes the research subject. How to treat and position the overseas China studies in Western academics into the China studies within China， and furthermore， how to engender the standpoint and pathway of China studies should be the focus in the China Studies within China. The standpoint of China Studies is to have China take the central position， which can be established through the pathway of problem tropism and experience tropism with knowing and understanding China as the end goal. In this sense， China being the center in China studies is the byproduct from the process of knowing and understanding China.

Neighborhood Politics: Urban Grassroots Power Operating Strategy and the StateSociety Conglutination

Gui Yong

2007, 27(6):  102-102 . 

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“Rupture” and “insertion” are two competing theories regarding the mobilization and control of the state over the urban neighborhood society during the transition period. This paper proposes a new， inbetween “conglutination” perspective， namely， while the state is capable of mobilizing and controlling the urban neighborhood， its capacity is largely constrained by various social and political factors. The analysis of the empirical data suggests that the conglutination between the state and neighborhood society is mainly shaped by the noninstitutional power operation in the neighborhood and the social structures and driving forces of such power.


Policy Implementation and Power Structure Reconstruction——The Case Study of the DirectElection Policy Formulating Process by City S’s Residential Committee in 2003

Yao Hua

2007, 27(6):  127-127 . 

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This paper examines the directelection policy formulating process by City S’s Residential Committee in 2003 based on the empirical data from a case study. With the help of some valuable viewpoints and methods in the “BottomUp Model” in the policy implementation research and the conceptual instruments for organizational decisionmaking analysis， we have come to the following conclusions: Policy implementation is not only a continuous， dynamic process or a decisionmaking process by the agent， but also a power structure reconstruction process. Completely different from the static and unidirectional power relations in the bureaucratic structure based on role functions and rank positions， the power structure rebuilt through agent’s strategic interactions during the policy implementing process is a dynamic and multidirectional one. The successful execution of the direct election of the Residential Committee in the context of conflicting systems was a product of the reconstructed power relations during the policy implementing process.


The Rationality behind Violation Constructions: Thoughts from an Anthropological Study of Chengzhong Cun in the City of Xiamen

Pan Feng

2007, 27(6):  154-154 . 

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Taking the emic approach of anthropology and based on the fieldwork in Chengzhong Cun (villages in town) in the city of Xiamen， this paper describes and analyzes indepth the investments on private buildings (i.e.， violation constructions). In order to get a better understanding of the emergence of violation constructions， we try to discover the rationality behind the social phenomena of ruleignoring constructions， chaotic constructions， alienation of buildings， and mutual imitations in Chengzhong Cun. We also try to reflect upon the limitations in the studies of violation constructions.


Migrant Peasant Workers: Identity Formation in Daily Life and Spatial Configuration

Zhao Yeqin

2007, 27(6):  175-175 . 

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In recent years， the issue of migrant peasant workers has attracted a lot of attention at home and abroad. Taking the migrant workers in a shantytown in Shanghai as the study subjects， this paper discusses with the conception of “social construction” the mechanisms for their identity formation after their entry into the city. The author contends that the household registration system (the Hukou system) is the macrolevel context for the formation and upholding of the identity of “migrant worker.” Meanwhile， this collective identity is being construed and symbolized through daily interactions， and it is getting recognized widely， as migrant workers live with the native residents in the same community. In the paper， the author also proposes the conception of “migrant space.” With country people migrating into the city， this living space clustered with migrant workers is becoming a unique urban space which functions as a spatial symbol for their identity.


A New Method to Reduce Subjective Biases in the Measurement of Social Psychology——Conceptualization and Scale Design in Measuring the Organizational Identity

Wang Yanbin

2007, 27(6):  189-189 . 

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From a grand point of view， the conceptualization of measuring the organizational identity as a social psychological phenomenon should include two aspects: organization members’ internal experiences and feelings of their relationships to the organization; and their explicit behaviors acted upon these relationships. To operationalize them， it’s necessary to find out the integration of the individuals’ objective selfcognition and subjective selfcognition in their organizational identity. A composite score of the sum of the two measures should be obtained for an integrated result to answer the same question. Designing a scale matrix should consider two aspects simultaneously: the scales must measure both internal psychological tendency and external behavioral expressions; such subjective tendency scales must measure both the subjective Self and the objective Self. The actual measurement outcome will then be characterized of a reduction in subjective biases and an improvement in its accuracy.