During China's transition period, the flow of labor

Author: Cai Mou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Since the reform and opening-up, the movement of rural labor to cities has become a notable phenomenon, attracting attention from researchers and policymakers, leading to a large volume of interdisciplinary research. At the same time, in the process of building a harmonious moderately prosperous society in China in the new century, cross-regional and cross-departmental labor mobility is thriving, and scientific research in this field also needs further deepening. Under the commission of the Ford Foundation Beijing Office, we collected a representative selection of papers by researchers from economics, sociology, demography, and other disciplines, both domestic and international, on labor mobility in China since the 1990s, forming the collection of essays before you. In selecting the papers, we focused on the universality of the issues, the empirical nature of the research, the normative rigor of the methods, and the high quality of the findings, aiming to provide readers with a concise overview of the research process and progress in this field, as well as the key concerns and methodological characteristics of different disciplines. We believe that these selected articles, as a record, also serve as a solid starting point for further in-depth research in this area. For this purpose, we would like to sincerely thank the authors of each paper, as well as Zhao Zhong, Zheng Zhenzhen, and Wang Meiyan, who assisted in editing three of the sections. Their dedication and professionalism enabled us to achieve our goals with a degree of satisfaction. During the process of editing this collection, we received enthusiastic support from many colleagues, to whom we extend our heartfelt gratitude. Sarah Cook (Shalin), the program officer at the Ford Foundation Beijing Office at the time, discussed the selection with us multiple times, provided editorial advice, and consistently offered support and encouragement throughout our work. Andrew Watson (Hua An De), the chief representative of the Ford Foundation Beijing Office, also showed great interest in the progress of this project. Xu Jin, Wang Meiyan, and Lian Pengling from the Institute of Population and Labor Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences contributed significantly to coordination and communication efforts, with Lian Pengling also meticulously proofreading all the manuscripts.