The Continuation of Reproduction: Institutional Transformation and Urban Social Stratification Structure: Institutional Transformation and Urban Social Stratification Structure

Author: Li Lulu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-15
Features: Social stratification structure and its changes have always been a core topic in sociological theoretical research. From a sociological perspective, one of the most important aspects of social change is the transformation of social structure, particularly the structure of social stratification. Therefore, after China began large-scale institutional transformation in the 1980s, the changes in China's social stratification structure not only became a central issue in sociological research on China's institutional transformation but also attracted widespread attention from the entire society. During China's transition to a market economy system, when a new economic mechanism—the market mechanism—was introduced, what changes occurred in the social stratification structure of urban Chinese society? The basic conclusion of this study is that the introduction and development of the market mechanism have significantly altered the structural mechanisms of social stratification and the mechanisms for acquiring class and status. However, the order of social stratification, the relative positions, and the relative relationships within social stratification have been continuously reproduced during this institutional transformation process. The reproduction of the original social stratification order and relative positions constitutes the dominant characteristic of the changes.