Housing Marketization Reform and Social Class LI Yu

Housing Marketization Reform and Social Class LI, Yu Survey Research Laboratory, Institute of Sociology, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai, China; LU, Hanlong Institute of Sociology, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai, China

Housing Distribution in Market Transition • The changing mechanisms during the market transition – Market transition debate • market transition theory • power persistence theory – House inequality • Market societies – Commodity – Class phenomenon • State redistributive societies – Welfare item – Majority people vs. elites – Inequality between work-units

Social class in Housing Marketization Reform • Research Question: – To what extent has China’s urban housing been transformed into a system in which housing distribution is a function of social class differentiation? – Who got more? – Cadre vs. manger

Housing Marketization Reform • Three phases – Pilot experiment : 1978 -1991 – Double track: 1992 -1998 – Full marketization: 1999 – (Li & Yi 2007)

Data • Residential relocation and urban restructuring: A Multi-city study of urban China – – Shanghai 2005/6 Urban area 2000 cases Housing history data

Variables and Measurement • Measuring House inequality – Chance to get a house – House size – House quality • Index 1 – Toilet (have=1, share / no =0) – Kitchen (have=1, share / no =0) – Balcony (have=1, share / no =0) • Index 2 – Year of house built (after 1990=1) – Location: (central area=1) – House type (townhouse, apartment =1) – Value of the house

Variables and Measurement • Social Class – Cadre: • High & Middle rank officials in Gov. & Non. Profit Institution (Chu & above) – Mangers in SOE • High-rank Mangers in State-Owned Enterprises – – – Mangers in market sector Professional Routine non-manual Skilled manual worker Non-skilled manual worker

Variables and Measurement • Control variables – TVCs (Time Varying Covariates) • Age & Age square • Work-Unit type – Government agency & Non-profit institution – State/Collective enterprise (Reference group) – Market Sector • Family size • Marriage status (Married =1) • Location of the house (central area=1) – Others (Not TVC) • Education (year of schooling) • Party Membership (CCP=1) • Hu Kou (Migrants=1)

Preliminary Result

Cox regression on getting a house

OLS Regression of housing size (Ln)

OLS Regression of housing Quality index 1

OLS Regression of Housing Quality index 2 • Social Class

OLS regression of Current House Value (Ln)

Conclusion • housing inequality in full. Marketization phase – Clear pattern • Hierarchy of social occupational class – inconsistent results on who get more • Both get rewarded • Cadre < manger ? – More careful analysis is needed

Q&A