Research Interests
Economic sociology, social inequality, internal migration, emergence of local norms, Chinese society, social changes, classical theory, social psychology
Research Projects
1. Corruption: What account for demoralization in transition from plan to market? How can corruption be understood from a normative perspective? How are norms of reciprocity related to corruption during economic transition in China?
Paper: Corruption in the Guise of Reciprocity
2. Trust: Why are most private businesses in China short-lived? Why is it so difficult for owners of private businesses to establish trust relationships with professional managers? Why is it difficult for professional managers to develop a long-term career in private businesses? What structural causes and normative practices led to this managers’ dilemma? Paper: Managers’ Dilemma: Institutions, Familism and Trust in China’s Private Businesses
3. Deinstitutionalization: How has rural-urban inequality patterns changed during the deinstitutionalization of the Hukou system? When did the Hukou system become incomplementary with market institutions in China, and why? What causal forces have been pushing the deinstitutionalization of this system and what forces are holding it back? Dissertation (in progress): Market Transition, Deinstitutionalization of Hukou, and Social Stratification in China
4. Migration: How has out-migration changed rural China? What happened to the “community spirit” there? What new organizational forms are emerging? How are labor markets segmented along the Hukou line? How have rural migrant workers coped with discrimination in urban workplaces? How do they assimilate into the urban life? How is circulated migration changing China’s countryside?
5. NGOs in Rural China: What is the role of NGOs in helping rebuilding the Chinese countryside? How have they detoured around institutional barriers?
6. Public Opinion and Civil Society: Is civil society possible in China? How is public opinion contributing to its emergence?
7. Consumption: How are patterns of consumption in China related to social changes? How are consumers affecting the remaking of public policies?