Encouraging "grassroots employment" for Chinese University graduates : promotion of "socialist citizenship" under incentive schemes
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
China: An International Journal
Publication Date
11-2017
Volume
15
Issue
4
First Page
22
Last Page
42
Publisher
NUS Press Pte Ltd.
Abstract
Why are Chinese university graduates, who in the past avoided socio-economically backward rural areas, willing to start their careers in such areas today? This research argues that the Chinese authorities have promoted “grassroots employment” for university graduates through preferential policies together with the values of “socialist citizenship”. However, the preferential policies actually reflect a different value of “instrumental utilitarianism” which resonates well with the dominant youth culture. This article examines the promotional strategies of four “grassroots employment” programmes in order to determine whether the popularity of the four programmes is due to the success of “socialist citizenship” or to the preferential policies. The benefits, difficulties and prospects of achieving the objectives of these “grassroots employment” programmes are briefly evaluated. The main conclusions are that the authorities have used “socialist citizenship” as a camouflage and that the preferential policies have accentuated youths’ enthusiasm to join the programmes.
Print ISSN
02197472
E-ISSN
02198614
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2017 China: An International Journal. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Chan, C.-p. (2017). Encouraging "grassroots employment" for Chinese University graduates: Promotion of "socialist citizenship" under incentive schemes. China: An International Journal, 15(4), 22-42. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/article/680682