The prospect of decent work,decent industrial relations and decent social relations in China: towards a multi-level and multi-disciplinary approach

Abstract

Decent Work is a key initiative launched by the International Labour Organization in 1999. The initiative is to promote decent and productive employment with decent conditions of freedom, equality, security and human dignity. In reviewing academic literature on decent work, existing studies have been conducted primarily from a legal and political economic perspective. It is also largely situated outside any national industrial relations framework, both theoretically and practically. Decent work is an advocacy initiative of ILO, but the promotion of universal values embodied in the notion (e.g. equality, fairness, justice and dignity) needs to be tailored to specific societal contexts. Drawing on existing academic literature, this review article examines ideological, institutional and cultural distances between decent work and the reality of employment in China. It argues that achieving decent work requires an ideological transition of ‘traditional’ Chinese work ethics and a cultural transition from collectivism and altruism towards individualism and an emphasis on individual rights. This study also examines and highlights regulatory enforcement deficits and the inadequate role of the trade union in facilitating the advancement of decent work at various levels. Finally, the article argues that the study of decent work should be mainstreamed as an integral part of decent industrial relations and ultimately, decent social relations. It calls for a multi-level and multi-disciplinary approach to examining the historical, political, economic, ideological and cultural context of specific countries in fulfilling the ‘Decent Work’ agenda.     

城市传统菜市场的地方芭蕾与地方感研究——以成都市青羊小区菜市场为例

在传统菜市场日趋式微的背景下,基于消费者视角对城市传统菜市场给予观照,运用地方芭蕾和地方感理论,通过问卷调查和深入访谈,探讨消费者的日常菜市场行为特征与模式以及由此形塑的多元地方意义。研究发现,消费者将传统菜市场纳入到居家、工作、休闲等日常生活轨迹中,形成三种富有时空韵律的惯常模式;通过个体化的生活习惯和时空轨迹,形塑出丰富多样的"地方芭蕾";在人与菜市场空间的互动中,菜市场也被赋予多元价值和意义,生发出地方依赖、地方依恋和地方认同三个维度的地方感。据此进一步讨论了作为传统日常生活空间的菜市场在当代城市中的作用及其对城市未来发展的启示。     

The importance of small differences: the effects of research design on the comparative study of industrial relations reform in Australia and New Zealand

The aim of this paper is to explore the limitations associated with a most similar case research design. It argues that by adopting a most similar case research design, comparative work on industrial relations reform in Australia and New Zealand during the 1980s and 1990s has systematically ignored important historical differences between the two countries, underestimated the similarities in recent reforms and privileged organizational and institutional explanations for changes in industrial relations systems, at the expense of those which are based on systemic factors and material interests. More generally, this paper argues that methodological choices have significant consequences for the types of explanations generated by comparative research and that more serious attention needs be given to the epistemological assumptions embedded in research designs that are taken up by industrial relations researchers.     

我国工业企业物流现代化发展的关键及对策

文章针对我国工业企业物流现状及存在的问题进行了分析,并阐述了加快工业企业物流现代化进程的关键及对策。     

The cultural characteristic of individualism/collectivism: A comparative study of implications for investment in operations between emerging Asian and industrialized Western countries

This study provides insight into the importance of national culture, investment in operations, and performance in the context of emerging Asian economies with a collectivist orientation, which are compared to industrialized Western nations with an individualist orientation. Hypotheses are developed and tested based on the cultural concept of individualism/collectivism, the theory of performance frontiers, and the extent of economic development. More specifically, data collected from 639 manufacturing plants in nine countries are used to first assess the influence of the cultural trait of individualism/collectivism on the extent of investment in structural assets (specifically: physical and capital-based) and infrastructural assets (specifically: team-based methods and improvement programs). Second, the influence of the extent of economic development on these investment factors is measured. Third, evidence is provided supportive of the theory of performance frontiers, and the nature of resource investments in the context of the cultural construct of individualism/collectivism. And fourth, support is provided for the efficacy of this theory, as well as for its compatibility and association with the resource-based view of the firm. Overall, this study makes important contributions to both theory and practice, and provides evidence for the role played by the cultural characteristic of individualism/collectivism in determining plant level investment outcomes in emerging Asian economies.     

从城市社区看社会分层与社会不平等——对天津市两个商品房社区的比较研究

依据对天津市两个居住区进行参与观察和个案访谈所获得的田野材料,通过比较研究的方法,揭示了社区的阶层化现状,勾画出不同社区居民之间的社会分层和不平等状况。并进一步指出,缩小城市区位差异、减少城市中的居住隔离不仅牵涉自然资源和社会资源的公平分配和使用,同时也关乎个体发展的代际公平。     

城镇弱势群体就业的社区支持与政府责任——扬州市社区帮扶弱势群体就业情况调查

通过对扬州市社区帮扶弱势群体就业情况的调查,发现造成弱势群体就业困难的主要原因是个人素质低、家庭状况差和政策执行不到位.此外,关于失业问题认识上的误区也影响了政策成效.政府在解决失业问题时要尊重个人的选择,在制定和执行就业政策时应认识到就业并不是目的,满足个人和家庭需要并获得较高的满意度才是人的追求.帮助弱势群体就业不仅是政府的责任也是社区的职责.政府应当在准确掌握这一群体动态变化情况和真实需求的基础上,兼顾眼前和长远发展,制定出科学的政策并采取有效的方法和手段确保政策执行到位.政府要加大力度促进社区建设,调动社区在帮助弱势群体就业中的积极性,充分发挥社区在这方面的优势.     

城镇生态敏感区的划分及建设途径——以上海市航头镇为例

小城镇的协调发展是我国城市化合理推进的基础.通过对上海市航头镇进行的研究,将生态敏感区的内涵和类型划分体系用于城镇空间四大主体功能区的划分,并针对优化开发区、重点开发区、禁止开发区和限制开发区分别提出建设途径的建议.这种划分方法对于合理利用国土空间和生态环境保护等方面具有重要意义.