China aktuell - Journal of Current Chinese Affairs 1/2008   Bestellen / Subscription:

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Introduction

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Im Fokus

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Wie informell ist Chinas Arbeitsmarkt? – Status quo und Perspektiven informeller Beschäftigung in der VR China
Anne J. Braun

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Abstract: Informelle Beschäftigung ist in den letzten Dekaden in nahezu allen Weltregionen dramatisch gewachsen. Dies gilt auch für die Industrieländer und ist Folge von Deregulierung und wachsendem internationalen Wettbewerbsdruck. Aktuelle Arbeitsmarktdaten zeigen, dass sich dieser Trend auch in China beobachten lässt. In den letzten Jahren wurde ein Großteil der neuen Arbeitsplätze in der informellen Ökonomie geschaffen. Die Mehrzahl der ländlichen Migranten und freigesetzten städtischen Arbeitskräfte, aber auch ein wachsender Anteil von Hochschulabsolventen sind in Unternehmen informell beschäftigt oder führen ihre eigenen Kleinstbetriebe. Dieser Beitrag analysiert den Status quo informeller Beschäftigung in Chinas Städten und diskutiert dessen Implikationen für den städtischen Arbeitsmarkt. Er vergleicht diese Entwicklungen mit globalen Trends und arbeitet die Spezifika des chinesischen Informalisierungsprozesses heraus, die in Chinas spezifischem Weg des Strukturwandels und der ökonomischen Transformation begründet liegen. (Manuskript eingereicht am 30.11.2007; zur Veröffentlichung angenommen am 21.01.2008)

Keywords: VR China, Arbeitsmarkt, informelle Beschäftigung, Wanderarbeiter, Freigesetzte, Selbstbeschäftigung

How Informal is China’s Labour Market? – The Status Quo and Prospects of Informal Employment in the People’s Republic of China
Anne J. Braun

Abstract: Due to deregulation and growing international competition, recent decades have seen a dramatic increase in informal employment in nearly all parts of the world, including industrialized countries. Current labour market statistics suggest that this is also true for China. In the last few years, the bulk of new employment in urban China has been in the informal economy. The overwhelming majority of rural migrants and retrenched and laid-off urban workers, and also a rising share of graduates, are informally employed in enterprises or run their own micro-businesses. This paper analyses the status quo of informal employment in China’s cities and discusses the implications for the urban labour market. It compares developments in China with global trends and points out the special features of the country’s informalization process, which have resulted from China’s specific path of structural adjustment and economic transformation.

Keywords: PR China, labour market, informal employment, rural migrants, laid-off workers, self-employment

Zwischen Informalisierung und Formalisierung – Migration, Stadtentwicklung und Transformation im Perlflussdelta
Bettina Gransow

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Abstract: Die wirtschaftliche Transformation im Perlflussdelta (VR China) hat zu massiven mega-urbanen Umstrukturierungen geführt, die von massenhaften Land-Stadt-Migrationen begleitet sind. Am Beispiel von Migration und Stadtentwicklung im Perlflussdelta kann gezeigt werden, dass Informalisierungsprozesse nicht nur im Bereich der Beschäftigung von Wanderarbeitern zu beobachten sind, sondern auch in ihren anderen Lebensbereichen wie den Wohnsiedlungen, der Gesundheitsversorgung und dem Schulbesuch ihrer Kinder. Um die mit der Migration verbundenen komplexen Interaktionen zwischen Informalisierung und Formalisierung besser zu verstehen, entwickelt die Autorin ein theoretisches Modell, das vom Konzept der Formalitäts-Informalitäts-Spanne (Norbert Elias) ausgeht. Es wird argumentiert, dass die Ausweitung von Informalität Formalisierungsprozesse (insbesondere neue und – bezogen auf die Situation der chinesischen Binnenmigration – inklusive Gesetze und Regelungen) auslöst, die die Chance bieten, die innovativen Aspekte informeller Entwicklungen zu verankern und zu verstetigen.1

Keywords: China, Migration, Informalisierung, Megaurbanisierung, Perlflussdelta

 

Between Informalisation and Formalisation – Migration, Urban Development and Transformation in the Pearl River Delta
Bettina Gransow

Abstract: The recent economic transformation in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) has resulted in massive megaurban restructuring, which is accompanied by rural-to-urban mass migration. As can be seen from migration and urban development in the PRD, processes of informalisation can be observed not only in the field of migrants’ employment, but also in other fields of their livelihood such as housing, health care and education for migrant children. To better understand the complex interactions of informalisation and formalisation in relation to migration, the author develops a theoretical framework by drawing on the formality-informality span (Norbert Elias). It is argued that the expansion of informality is triggering processes of formalisation (such as new rules and regulations that are inclusive of the situation of migrants) which may offer opportunities to implement and sustain the innovative aspects of the informal developments.1

Keywords: China, Migration, informalisation, mega-urbanisation, Pearl River Delta

Plangröße Tod in der Marktwirtschaft: Tödliche Grubenunglücke in China
Qi Li und Bill Taylor

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Abstract: Obwohl China inzwischen zu einer größeren kapitalistischen (oder gemischten) Wirtschaft geworden ist, bleibt unklar, ob die Zentralregierung die Fähigkeit besitzt, einen rechtlichen Rahmen zu schaffen, der sowohl die weitere kapitalistische Entwicklung fördert als auch soziale Gerechtigkeit ermöglicht. Dieser Beitrag illustriert anhand der Unfälle im Kohlebergbau die Existenz einer Anreizstruktur, die systemisch zur Vernachlässigung der Sicherheit der dortigen Arbeiter führt. Zwar hat die Zentralregierung angesichts steigender Unfallzahlen zahlreiche Richtlinien erlassen, die die Sicherheitslage der Minen verbessern sollen. Und tatsächlich haben diese umfassenden und unterschiedlichen Initiativen zum zahlenmäßigen Rückgang geführt. Aber dennoch ist die Wirklichkeit komplexer und die Anreizstrukturen schaffen neue Probleme und ermutigen z.B. zum Verschweigen von Unfällen. Vor allem werden sie häufig zugunsten wirtschaftlicher Prioritäten nicht umgesetzt. D.h. die Regierung stellt auch weiterhin das Wirtschaftswachstum über die Sicherheit der Arbeiter.

Keywords: PRC, coal mining, mining accidents, workers’ safety, central-local relations

 

Regulating Death in China’s Free Market: The Case of Mining Fatalities
Qi Li and Bill Taylor

Abstract: Although China has emerged as a major capitalist (or mixed) economy, there is much debate over the ability of the central government to institute a regulatory framework to both promote capitalist expansion and ensure some notion of social justice. This paper uses the case of coal mining accidents to illustrate an incentive structure which neglects workers’ safety. Following a major increase in the number of coal mining accidents, the central government has developed many policies and directives to improve the mine safety record. These initiatives have been both comprehensive and diverse, and the figures are improving. The paper will show, however, a more complex picture, in which incentives create new problems, encourage under-reporting, and are not implemented because they conflate with higher economic priorities. Despite the drive to reduce accidents, the government institutionalises the priority of economic growth over miners’ safety.

Keywords: VR China, Kohlebergbau, Arbeitsunfälle, Arbeitssicherheit, Zentrale-lokale Beziehungen

Im Fokus

Die neuen Aufgaben der chinesischen Gewerkschaften / The New Tasks for Chinese Trade Unions
Sergio Grassi

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Abstract: Chinese trade unions are under severe pressure to adapt to the new industrial-relations situation in China. On the one hand, they are still expected to fulfil their traditional role as the party’s ‘transmission belt’. On the other hand – since, in the course of economic reforms, market-oriented enterprises are becoming more and more dominant as a pillar of China’s economic growth – there is an increasing necessity for the offensive representation of workers’ interests. The self-conception of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) therefore encompasses a double identity as both a part of the state apparatus and the workers’ representative. At the same time, due to the progressive diversification of forms of enterprises, unions are currently confronted with a comprehensive structural change in the Chinese employment system. Hence, they now have to organize their members in non-traditional sectors such as private industry, the service sector, and among so-called informal employees. Meanwhile, the ACFTU strives to broaden its future ability to manoeuvre through its involvement in the drafting of new labour laws.

Keywords: PR Chinese trade unions, ACFTU, labour law, migrant workers, corporatism

Teilzeitbeschäftigung nach dem neuen Arbeitsvertragsgesetz der VR China – Wirksames Mittel zur Flexibilisierung des Arbeitsmarktes? / Part-time Work According to the New Labour Contract Law in China – Effective Means for a Flexible Labour Market?
Qian Wang

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Abstract: This article focuses on part-time work, which is now regulated in a separate section of the recently passed Labour Contract Law. By comparing the new legislation with a former regulation from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS), the article discusses in detail issues related to the definition of part-time work, the conclusion and content of contracts, the remuneration and social security of employees, as well as the termination of employment relationships. Furthermore, it points out the intentions of the lawmaker: By strengthening dismissal protection and promoting labour contracts of unlimited duration, full-time employment should be stabilized; while the supply of temporary workers will be standardized, misuse of the probationary period is going to be penalized. The new part-time work seems to be the back door for the employer in the future.

Keywords: part-time work, unequal treatment, stabilized employment relationship, back door for employer

Sozialversicherung für Wanderarbeiter in der Volksrepublik China / Social Insurance of Rural Migrants in the People’s Republic of China
Heping Cai und Yingfang Hua

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Abstract: Since the beginning of economic reforms in China, the number of rural migrants flocking to the cities to find work has been constantly increasing. In 2006 these migrants accounted for almost 50 percent of all urban employees. Typical to this type of worker is a high degree of flexibility and mobility, which makes it rather difficult to establish a social insurance system that guarantees their rights. After the adoption of the labour law in 1994, the Chinese government formulated guidelines to either integrate rural migrants into existing urban systems or establish a separate system for them. The reality, however, is somewhat different. Only a very small percentage of migrants – between 10 percent and 20 percent depending on the type of insurance – are covered. Most problematic is old-age insurance. This article lists the different regulations regarding social insurance law and elaborates on the various problems in its implementation. The two models of Shanghai and Shenzhen are given as an example. The next step towards a nationwide, inclusive insurance system would be standardization on the provincial level.

Keywords: PR China, rural migrants, social insurance, old-age insurance, discrimination

Strategische Beschaffung in China: Die Perspektive von ausländischen Klein- und Mittelbetrieben / Strategic Sourcing in China: The Perspective of Small and Medium-Sized Foreign Enterprises
Julia Christin Krüger

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Abstract: This article focuses on sourcing activities conducted by foreign small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Chinese market. It asks whether there are any differences between global players and SMEs when it comes to sourcing in China. The characteristics of the Chinese market and the opportunities and challenges involved in sourcing products or services in China are analysed. In order to guarantee a successful business operation, companies have to design specific sourcing strategies of their own.

Keywords: China, strategic sourcing, global sourcing, small and medium-sized enterprises

Erdrutschsieg der Kuomintang: Taiwans Parlamentswahl vom Januar 2008 / Landslide Victory for the Kuomintang: Taiwan’s Legislative Elections of January 2008
Hans-Wilm Schütte

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Abstract: Taiwan elected its new parliament according to new rules which, for the former opposition party, KMT, augmented a majority of roughly 50 percent of the votes to more than two-thirds of the seats. As a detailed look at the figures reveals, this landslide victory was not due to a loss on the> side of the ruling DPP but rather to the ability of the KMT to pool the votes of smaller parties and independents. The DPP failed in this respect, mainly due to the decision of its chairman, Taiwan’s incumbent president Chen Shui-bian, to focus the campaign on themes of Taiwanese national identity. In contrast, the KMT campaign addressed the economy and other more down-to-earth and local themes. Since the parliamentary elections were held only two months before the election of a new president, they appear to be the first phase of a power change which will very likely lead to a victory for the KMT candidate, Ma Ying-jeou.

Keywords: Taiwan, elections