Shades of Authoritarianism and State–Labour Relations in China

Abstract

Attempts to analyse authoritarianism in China tend towards a static focus on the state that is homogeneous across time. We argue for a more nuanced approach that captures the dynamism and contours of state–civil society relations, and state–labour relations, in particular, in authoritarian states. Taking state–labour relations as a bellweather, we conceptualize ‘shades of authoritarianism’ as a framework for better understanding the complexities and evolution of state–society relations in authoritarian states. We illustrate this through the case of China, distinguishing different shades of authoritarianism in the Hu‐Wen era (2002–2012) and in the current regime of Xi Jinping

State and labor in China, 1978-2018

“…President Xi reiterated in a October 2018 meeting with the new union leadership in Beijing: “Trade unions should adhere to the employee‐centered working approach; focus on the most pressing, most immediate issues that concern the employees the most; and fulfill the obligation of safeguarding workers' rights and interests and sincerely serving workers and the people” ( Xinhua, ). But the political environment for those working on labor rights issues in China, including grassroots social organizations, students, scholars, and lawyers, has been much constrained in Xi's era (Howell & Pringle, ; Kuruvilla, ).…”

“…And many workers remain completely unprotected at all. Commentators (Howell & Pringle, ; Kuruvilla, ; Lee, ) share a pessimistic outlook on realizing workers' rights as civil society organizations are increasingly surveilled by ever‐expanding security apparatus. New workplace‐ and community‐based labor organizing strategies, and the responses of the state under President Xi, are to be investigated on the frontline.…”

“…With China's further liberalization and accession to the World Trade Organization, between 2002 and 2012, the Beijing leaders introduced a series of measures to boost governance against the backdrop of rising social instability and economic inequality (Howell & Pringle, ). Effective from March 1, 2004, under the Provision on Minimum Wages, provincial and lower‐level governments were required to review statutory minimum wage levels under their jurisdiction at least once every 2 years.…”

“…Some have formally registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, while the others have gone underground . The precise number of labor nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) across China is not known, with estimations ranging from 72 to 100 in 2010–2011 (Fu, , p. 506; Howell & Pringle, , p. 12).…”

A Tale of Two Deltas: Labour Politics in Jiangsu and Guangdong

“…Softer forms of manipulation, such as the YRD's cooptation of civil society groups, also picked up under Xi. As argued by Howell and Pringle (), China can be understood as passing between overlapping ‘shades’ of authoritarian state‐labour relations, from a relatively open shade, in which state engagement with non‐state actors and innovative forms of conflict resolution are encouraged, to an encapsulating one, in which the state seeks to dominate all interactions and bring all innovation in‐house. Although Howell and Pringle ascribe this shift to a variety of factors — not only leadership peculiarities, but also development strategies, globalization, the demands of capitalist production and regime stability and most relevant to this article, ‘interactions between state and labor’ — some readers may interpret the change as signalling that elite‐level politics are more important than what is happening on shop floors or in the streets.…”