Why and under which conditions do companies voluntarily adopt high social and environmental standards? Christian R. Thauer looks inside the firm to illustrate the internal drivers of the social conduct of business. He argues that corporate social responsibility (CSR) assists decision-makers to resolve managerial dilemmas. Drawing on transaction cost economics, he asks why and which dilemmas bring CSR to the fore. In this context he describes a managerial dilemma as a situation where the execution of management's decisions transforms the mode of cooperation within the organization from a hierarchy to one in which managers become dependent on, and vulnerable to, the behavior of subordinates. Thauer provides empirical illustration of his theory by examining automotive and textile factories in South Africa and China. Thauer demonstrates that CSR is often driven by internal management problems rather than by the external pressures that corporations confront.
Originally published in 1974, this is a meticulously researched and incisive examination of a subject which has often been submerged in propaganda. Dr Ogunsanwo traces in great detail the phases and development of Chinese policy in Africa, diplomatic, military, economic, social and cultural relations over the whole of the continent from 1958 to 1971. Placing his subject firmly in the context of the triangular struggle between the United States, the Soviet Union and China, the author examines the place of Africa in Chinese foreign policy as a whole and shows how, from occupying a peripheral status in the mid-fifties, it began to achieve a self-propelling and compulsive momentum. He describes in detail China's strategy and tactics, success and failure in specific African states, the way in which policies were conditioned by international events, interacted with internal African and Chinese events and aspirations and conflicted with United States and Soviet objectives.
Zheng (The China Policy Institute, Nottingham U., UK) analyzes the impact of the Internet on the relationship between the state and social forces in China. His study emphasizes that the state may be a
As an important macroeconomic variant, the fiscal revenue and expenditure can influence the operation of the whole economic and social activities by changing the existing GDP distribution pattern, aff
The importance of the relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China has only grown since Richard Nixon's epochal visit in 1972. By the early twenty-first century, when the rise of China had become an inescapable fact, most American policy makers and experts saw bilateral ties with China as the most consequential foreign-relations priority for the United States. In recent years, even before the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S.-China relationship has rapidly deteriorated--and the whole world has felt the consequences. This book brings together leading China specialists to offer a retrospective on relations between the United States and China over the last half-century and consider what might be next. The contributors--including academics, leaders of China-related nongovernmental organizations, and former diplomats and government officials--analyze the relationship from a range of perspectives: political, diplomatic, economic, social, cultural, commercial, educat
The Political Economy of Competition Law in China provides a unique perspective of China's competition law that is situated within its legal, institutional, economic, and political contexts. Adopting a framework that focuses on key stakeholders and the relevant governance and policy environment, and drawing upon stakeholder interviews, case studies, and doctrinal analysis, this book examines China's anti-monopoly law in the context of the political economy from which it emerged and in which it is now enforced. It explains the legal and economic reasoning used by Chinese competition authorities in interpreting and applying the anti-monopoly law, and offers valuable and novel insights into the processes and dynamics of law- and decision-making under that law. This book will interest scholars of competition law and professionals advising clients that operate in China, as well as scholars of Chinese law, Asian law, comparative law, and political and social science.
"Thoughtful, probing...a worthy successor to the famous histories of Fairbank and Spence [that] will be read by all students and scholars of modern China."--William C. Kirby, coauthor of Can China Lead?It is tempting to attribute the rise of China to Deng Xiaoping and to recent changes in economic policy. But China has a long history of creative adaptation. In the eighteenth century, the Qing Empire dominated a third of the world's population. Then, as the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion ripped the country apart, China found itself verging on free fall. More recently, after Mao, China managed a surprising recovery, rapidly undergoing profound economic and social change. A dynamic story of crisis and recovery, failure and triumph, Making China Modern explores the versatility and resourcefulness that guaranteed China's survival, powered its rise, and will determine its future."Chronicles reforms, revolutions, and wars through the lens of institutions, often rebutting Western impress
This book, a sequel to Inequality and Public Policy in China (2008), examines the evolution of inequality in China from 2002 to 2007, a period when the new 'harmonious society' development strategy was adopted under Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao. It fills a gap in knowledge about the outcomes of this development strategy for equity and inequality. Drawing on original information collected from the recent two waves of nationwide household surveys conducted by the China Household Income Project, this book provides a detailed overview of recent trends in income inequality and cutting-edge analysis of key factors underlying such trends. Topics covered include inequality in education, changes in homeownership and the distribution of housing wealth, the evolution of the migrant labor market, disparities between public and non-public sectors, patterns of work and non-work, gender, ethnicity, and the impacts of public policies such as reforms in taxation and social welfare programs.
This book, a sequel to Inequality and Public Policy in China (2008), examines the evolution of inequality in China from 2002 to 2007, a period when the new 'harmonious society' development strategy was adopted under Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao. It fills a gap in knowledge about the outcomes of this development strategy for equity and inequality. Drawing on original information collected from the recent two waves of nationwide household surveys conducted by the China Household Income Project, this book provides a detailed overview of recent trends in income inequality and cutting-edge analysis of key factors underlying such trends. Topics covered include inequality in education, changes in homeownership and the distribution of housing wealth, the evolution of the migrant labor market, disparities between public and non-public sectors, patterns of work and non-work, gender, ethnicity, and the impacts of public policies such as reforms in taxation and social welfare programs.
This book examines the various stages of China's development, in the economic, social and political fields, relating theories and models of development to what is actually occurring in China, and disc
While a large number of studies exist on political-economic institutional explanations for the prevalence of precarious work, few have delved into the elusive yet critical domain of culture. This is highly pertinent to China and Japan whose shared tradition of Confucianism (broadly defined) continues to inform many aspects of society. In particular, core values such as hierarchy, harmony, and the subordination of individual interests to collective requirements impinge importantly on the iniquitous patterns of precarious work and its surrounding institutions ranging from state policy and legislation to industrial relations and social welfare. The pervasiveness and entrenched nature of culture has been especially evidenced by Japan's distinctly gendered and China's rural-urban citizenship-based labour market stratifications. By bridging culture and institutions, Temporary and Gig Economy Workers in China and Japan brings a more integrated and nuanced understanding of unequal work, castin
China has experienced rapid economic and social change since the beginning of the 'Open Door' policy in 1978. Yet at the same time, the legacy of the Mao era remains and elements of Confucianism conti
The idea of the "digital divide," the great social division between information haves and have-nots, has dominated policy debates and scholarly analysis since the 1990s. In Working-Class Ne
Despite many predictions of collapse and disintegration, China has managed to sustain unity and gain international stature since the Tiananmen crisis of 1989. Originally published in 2004, this volume addresses the 'fragmentation/disintegration thesis' and examines the sources and dynamics of China's resilience. Through theoretically informed empirical studies, the volume's authors look at key institutions for political integration and economic governance. They also dissect how difficult policies to regulate economic and social life (employment and migration, population planning, industrial adjustment, and regional disparities) are designed and implemented. The authors show that China's leaders have retained authoritarian political institutions, but have also reinforced and modified them, constructing fresh ones in the light of changing circumstances. Institutional and policy adaptations together have helped shore up political authority and create an environment for rapid growth, while
During the global economic crisis of 2008, countries around the world used national policy spaces to respond to the crisis in ways that shed new light on the possibilities for linkages between international trade and human rights. This book introduces the idea of policy space as an innovative way to reframe recent developments in global governance. It brings together a wide-ranging group of leading experts in international law, trade, human rights, political economy, international relations, and public policy who have been asked to reflect on this important development in globalization. Their multidisciplinary contributions provide explanations for the changing global landscape for national policy space, clearly illustrate instances of this change, and project the future paths for policy development in social and economic policy spaces, especially with reference to linkages between international trade and human rights in countries from the Global North as well as Brazil, China, and Ind
During the global economic crisis of 2008, countries around the world used national policy spaces to respond to the crisis in ways that shed new light on the possibilities for linkages between international trade and human rights. This book introduces the idea of policy space as an innovative way to reframe recent developments in global governance. It brings together a wide-ranging group of leading experts in international law, trade, human rights, political economy, international relations, and public policy who have been asked to reflect on this important development in globalization. Their multidisciplinary contributions provide explanations for the changing global landscape for national policy space, clearly illustrate instances of this change, and project the future paths for policy development in social and economic policy spaces, especially with reference to linkages between international trade and human rights in countries from the Global North as well as Brazil, China, and Ind
This illuminating work examines the social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions of the Communist takeover of China. Instead of dwelling on elite politics and policy-making processes, Dilemmas
Despite a resurgence in the number of studies of Chinese social control over the past decade or so, no sustained work in English has detailed the recent developments in policy and practice against ser
There is growing interest in social transformation in contemporary China, with much work published on the subject. This book is different from other books in that it presents an overview of the work o
The rise of China and other great powers raises important questions about the persistence and stability of the 'liberal international order'. This book provides a new perspective on these questions by offering a novel theory of revisionist challenges to international order. It argues that rising powers sometimes seem to face the condition of 'status immobility', which activates social psychological and domestic political forces that push them toward lashing out in protest against status quo rules, norms, and institutions. Ward shows that status immobility theory illuminates important but often-overlooked dynamics that contributed to the most significant revisionist challenges in modern history. The book highlights the importance of status in world politics, and further advances a new understanding of this important concept's role in foreign policy. This book will be of interest to researchers in international politics and security, especially those interested in great power politics, s
