Theory and State of the Research

Abstract

This chapter discusses the state of the current research on workplace consent in authoritarian states. It reviews the existing empirical studies of factory regimes in Russia and China and existing theories of workplace consent. The core of the chapter focuses on developing the theoretical approach used in the study. This approach centers on three consent-generation mechanisms: socialization, incentives, and participation. Taken together, these mechanisms are referred to as the factory regime. Based on the assumption that participation mechanisms are absent or underdeveloped in authoritarian societies, the chapter develops the thesis that, to generate consent and compensate for the lack of participation, authoritarian societies need to rely on very intensive organizational socialization processes (including social engineering) and material incentives.