The State and Life Chances in Urban China: Redistribution and Stratification, 1949–1994

Using life history information of a national sample of urban Chinese residents, this book examines how shifting state policies and political processes led to drastic fluctuations of opportunities in education attainment, employment, promotions, and economic benefits over a 45-year history. The author addresses issues about the evolution of state socialism in China and the sources and extent of fundamental changes over the last two decades to demonstrate how the socialist state's policies affected everyday life in urban China.