Dissertation Research: Job Dislocation and Re-employment in China

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This Dissertation Improvement research examines the processes by which Chinese workers cope with job dislocation, in the context of rapidly changing socio-economic conditions. In searching for new jobs, will these dislocated workers be more likely to use the government re-employment program; rely on their social networks; or utilize individualistic impersonal methods? How successful will the workers be in acquiring a new job and for what reasons will they be successful? Three paradigms provide competing predictions and explanations: First, neoclassical theory implies that dislocated workers will use individualistic impersonal methods and that their human capital will be the primary factor determining their success in finding a new job. Second, an "East Asian" paradigm predicts that the workers will turn to China's re-employment program and that human capital will be the primary reason that people will find new jobs. And third, a sociological paradigm predicts that workers will use their social networks and that social capital will be the primary factor determining worker success in finding a new job. This research will assess these three competing theoretical claims, through a survey of 800 randomly selected dislocated workers in Tianjin, China between August 1998 and June 1999. In addition to the scientific gains to be achieved by the research, this award will materially assist a highly promising student in completing research for the Ph.D. dissertation. Thus it contributes to the thorough training of the next generation of social scientists.