The dual discourse phenomenon and its deep logic in the rights protection of migrant workers in the Pearl River Delta

Abstract

The increasing popularity of the Internet and the rapid development of social media in China have given more power of discourse to migrant workers, who have traditionally been in a disadvantageous position in terms of labor conflict. Based on a textual analysis of a typical strike, this article finds that, during collective protest, the discourse of migrant workers is dual, as it consists of both a traditional class discourse and a modern legal discourse. When using traditional class discourse, they do so to justify their actions and win the sympathy and support of public opinion. When applying modern legal discourse, they do so to cater to the governing concept of rule by law in contemporary China and use it as a means to advocate practical economic interests. This dual discourse is a reflection of the political reality in contemporary China, and points to the contradiction faced by China’s ruling party in the transition period.

Can digital financial inclusion help reduce migrant workers’ overwork? Evidence from China

“…Furthermore, this component is supplemented by including migrant workers' income. The regression results are shown in columns ( 5) and (6). The results show that the digital financial inclusion on the personal income of farmers is significantly positive.…”

“…Finally, according to the employment status of migrant workers, this paper divides them into employed and self-employed groups (47), and the regression results are shown in Table 6. Columns (5,6) of Table 6 show that the inhibitory effect of digital financial inclusion on migrant workers' overwork is significant only among employed migrant workers, and for self-employed migrant workers, digital financial inclusion instead increases their labor supply and raises the probability of falling into an overworked state. The likely reason for this is whether or not to increase the labor supply is often the result of an autonomous choice by self-employed migrant workers instead of employed migrant workers.…”

“…Therefore, digital financial inclusion has a stronger inhibitory effect on the overwork of migrant workers. Columns (5,6) show that digital financial inclusion has a stronger inhibitory effect on the overwork of migrant workers in small cities. The possible reason is that small cities and medium enterprises face more serious financing constraints for their development.…”

“…Additionally, the protection of migrant workers’ rights in China is relatively weak. As a mobile population, migrant workers often do not receive household registration of the place of inflow, and China’s existing urban–rural dual structure has resulted in significant disparities between urban and rural residents in healthcare, education, and social security ( 6 ). Migrant workers often lack social security or health insurance and may be forced to work longer hours or lose income when ill or job insecure.…”