世代效应:民营企业家群体的阶层地位变迁研究

阶层地位感知是影响民营企业家经营决策的重要因素,然而当前仍缺乏对其阶层地位感知形成机制的解释。从市场化转型历史背景出发,本文认为民营企业家阶层地位感知受其创业时特定历史情境的影响,并会通过世代效应长期共享、强化这一认知模式。基于五次中国私营企业抽样调查数据,具体考察1992年前后两个不同时期创业的民营企业家群体地位感知差异来检验世代效应。结果表明:与市场经济体制确立之前(1992年前)创业的民营企业家群体相比,市场经济体制确立之后(1992年后)创业的民营企业家群体地位感知相对较高。同时,进一步异质性检验发现,对于无体制内经历和经济力量较强的民营企业家群体,市场化转型对其阶层地位感知的提升作用更强。通过聚焦于中国市场化转型的历史变迁进程,本文为深化民营企业家阶层地位感知的认识提供了宏观历史视角解释。

The Cohort Effect:Research on the Transformation of the Social Status of the Chinese Private Entrepreneur Groups

The perception of class status is an important factor that affects the decision-making of private entrepreneurs.However,there is still a lack of explanation for the formation mechanism of class status.At present,the explanation of the status of private entrepreneurs is mostly from the perspective of static structure,but it neglects the macro factors of institutional change under the background of transitional economy.This paper holds that the change of the relationship between the state and the society caused by the transformation is an important reason that affects the formation mechanism of the status of the private entrepreneurs.Therefore,the interpretation of the status of the private entrepreneurs needs to examine the specific historical situation and its changes.Based on the generation effect theory,this paper attempts to explore the impact of market-oriented transformation on the class status perception of private entrepreneurs,and specifically test the class status perception differences of private entrepreneurs in the two periods around 1992.The main conclusions are as follows:compared with the group of private entrepreneurs who started their business before 1992,the group of private entrepreneurs who started their business after 1992 has a higher perception of their class status.Further study found that without intra-institutional experience and economic power of business owners will enlarge the class status perception differences between the above two groups of private entrepreneurs.Specifically,compared with the group of private entrepreneurs in the system,in the group of private entrepreneurs outside the system,there is a greater difference in the perception of the status of private entrepreneurs who started businesses around 1992.Compared with the group of private entrepreneurs with weak economic power,among the group of private entrepreneurs with strong economic power,there is a greater difference in the perception of the status of entrepreneurs in the two periods before and after 1992.The conclusion reveals that there is the cohort effect in the perception of the status of private entrepreneurs in the context of China's reform and transformation,and the identity of the status of private entrepreneurs reflects a more macro institutional change.There are three contributions in this paper.First,from a historical perspective to enhance the understanding of the status of private entrepreneurs.The theory of collective memory,the cohort effect and other historical perspectives is introduced into the study of class status.By examining the economic and social transformation since China's reform and opening-up,it is found that there is cohort effect in the perception of class status of private entrepreneurs.Second,the historical changes of the status of private entrepreneurs reveal the social structure changes since China's reform and opening up.The conclusion shows that the transformation of China's social structure is moving towards the market mechanism.An important embodiment of this transformation is that the proportion of economic power has been increased in the reference system of the status perception of private entrepreneurs.Third,this paper expands the research of cohort effect in China's transformation background.As a new social group,private entrepreneurs,although they had different social sources before the establishment of private enterprises,were involved in economic transformation and shared the experience and era memory of the same period.Finally,this paper has some practical significance.The status perception of private entrepreneurs not only reflects the changes of China's macro-economy and society,but also outlines the action strategies of private entrepreneurs as actors at the micro level.The private economy plays an important role in the market economy system.As the leader of the private economy,if the group of private entrepreneurs can get fair treatment in politics and policy,and supported by a positive social public opinion evaluation mechanism,it could be improve their status recognition,which is of great significance for the healthy and sustainable development of the private economy.