(1/x) Reports about "eliminating" China's hukou system have popped up regularly for years. But as you drill down, you realize that there's a big difference between a) eliminating restrictions on migrants residing in a city and b) ensuring them equal access to social services.
(2/x) No offense to @SixthTone (they do great work!). But I think this might be another case of this. Here's a really good 2008 China Quarterly article by Kam Wing Chan and Will Buckingham on precisely this point.
faculty.washington.edu/stevehar/Chan%…
faculty.washington.edu/stevehar/Chan%…
@SixthTone (3/x) Here, central opinion has specific language on promoting equality of social services: 推进基本公共服务均等化，常住人口享有与户籍人口同等的教育、就业创业、社会保险、医疗卫生、住房保障等基本公共服务。 But note that implicitly recognizes a difference b/w 常住人口 & 户籍人口.
@SixthTone (4/x) The problem emerges when language like that trickles down to local authorities - who are often unwilling to spend additional resources to provide services to migrants that they don't view as "their" responsibility, particularly when long-time urban residents complain.
@SixthTone (5/x) One good example is drawn from this 2014 China Quarterly article by Pei-chia Lan. homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~pclan/documen…
@SixthTone (6/x) As she details, around 2008 central Chinese authorities ramped up pressure to provide better education for migrant children (ie. lacking local hukou). Shanghai authorities adopted policies to steering them out of unlicensed schools and into public schools.
@SixthTone (7/x) A proliferation of barriers ensued. Some schools were set aside for migrant children. Others began to segregate spatially - different classes at different times with different teachers - no mixing between "locals" and "migrants."
@SixthTone (8/x) One can imagine the battles that get fought out school by school. From established urban parents, "why do my kids have to go to school with *them*?" From administrators, "how are our rankings going to be affected if we have to incorporate *that* group?"
@SixthTone (9/x) Naturally, some of this is tied up with unique elements of Chinese history (hukou = deep legacy of 1950s Maoist social + econ policies).
But not entirely. Some of this will be very familiar to those who watch bitter school rezoning battles in, say, upper West Side of NYC.
But not entirely. Some of this will be very familiar to those who watch bitter school rezoning battles in, say, upper West Side of NYC.
@SixthTone (10/x) The short summary: it's very hard to "eliminate" China's hukou system. You're dealing with a deep level of socioeconomic discrimination tied to labels that is baked into allocations of resources and social services at the municipal level.
@SixthTone (11/x) Seriously addressing this requires massive political will on Beijing's part to curb vested interests of China's well-off urban elite. And that's politically very difficult for a Party that now - really - stands with the urban bourgeoisie, not proletariat (i.e. migrants).
@SixthTone (12/x) Apologies for the length. If for some reason, people are actually interested in this, consider checking out my book - chapter 2 focuses on this.
global.oup.com/academic/produ…
global.oup.com/academic/produ…
