China and the Era of Industrial Citizenship

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 1 develops a theoretical framework, involving industrial citizenship and autonomy, to analyze authority relations in workplaces. In factories, as in states, citizenship is the essential prerequisite for democratic participation; if workers’ jobs are not secure and they are not recognized as legitimate stakeholders, they cannot claim rights to participate in decision-making and hold factory leaders accountable. To effectively participate, however, also requires autonomy, that is, the freedom to manage your own work, express opinions, and organize collectively. Both citizenship and autonomy are continuous variables, combinations of which produce four ideal types: market despotism (weak citizenship and little autonomy), individual autonomy (weak citizenship but substantial autonomy), paternalism (strong citizenship but little autonomy), and workplace democracy (strong citizenship and substantial autonomy). During the postwar decades, when workers in many countries enjoyed relatively strong industrial citizenship, workplace democracy was on the agenda, even if it was rarely accomplished in practice.