Homeland, host country, and beyond: identity transformation among Chinese migrants in Singapore

This paper examines identity transformation among Chinese migrants in Singapore in the context of transnationalism and widespread use of ICT s (Information and Communication Technologies). Based on how strongly migrants identify with the homeland and the host country, the paper constructs four ideal types of identity: transnational, assimilatory, sojourning, and cosmopolitan. The study finds that the most common identity is the transnational sort, characterized by the migrant identifying strongly with both homeland and host country. Nevertheless, migrants also hold other identities including those beyond the four ideal types, demonstrating the diversity and fluidity of migrants' identity transformation. The paper also examines the factors that affect migrants' identity transformation.Ministry of Education (MOE)The research for this paper was supported by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its Academic Research Fund Tier 2 (MOE2015-T2-2-027

The land question in 21st century China : four camps and five scenarios

In 1709, the Kangxi Emperor alerted his officials to a ‘serious problem’. ‘It has been nearly 68 years since our dynasty [the Qing] was established. The people have lived in peace and the population has grown by the day, yet the acreage of farmland has not increased accordingly. One person’s land is now farmed by several families. How can they make an adequate living?’, the Emperor asked, and went on to stress: ‘We must find solutions.’1 At the time, China’s population was between 100 and 150 million, the highest it had ever been, but this was only the beginning of a long period of steady demographic growth. A century later, the country had 360 million inhabitants.2 This was an era of general prosperity for Imperial China, yet the problem of supporting a large and growing population with limited farmland posed an unrelenting challenge to Kangxi and his successors.Published versio

Drawn-out protests in China’s rustbelt: land revenue and the limits to bargained authoritarianism

The rise of the land revenue regime in China, characterized by land dispossession in the countryside and land redevelopment in the city, has sparked numerous protests. This study draws attention to the paradox that the regime has helped to mitigate labour unrest, at least temporarily, in China’s Rustbelt, where millions of workers were laid-off in the 1990s. Based on field research in Anshan, Liaoning province, and data from other cities in the Rustbelt, this article shows that laid-off workers’ protests persisted much longer than previously thought, largely owing to a lack of local fiscal resources to meet workers’ demands. Only with the growing revenue from land sales in the recent decade has the local government finally been able to ease the tension with laid-off workers. The article argues that bargained authoritarianism, or “buying stability,” widely considered to be an effective strategy by the local state to control social unrest, has its limits, mainly owing to its dependence on local fiscal resources. Recent economic downturns and declining land revenue will disrupt this strategy, leading to protracted protests and struggles in future.Ministry of Education (MOE)Nanyang Technological UniversityThe research for this article is supported by the School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (Graduate student research fund) and Singapore Ministry of Education (AcRF Tier 1 Grant, RG44/20)

Internal migration in China: Linking it to development

In recent years, the Chinese Government pursued a more positive approach towards rural-urban migration, and adopted a number of policies in support of rural migrants in urban areas. This paper shall emphasize the relationship between migration and development and poverty alleviation. It is proposed that internal labour migration can have a positive effect on development and poverty alleviation in the areas of origin. It will also highlight the new policies and practices initiated in recent years

Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China

Since late 2013, one of China’s most controversial policies—the one-child policy—has been gradually phased out, culminating in the reorganization of the National Health and Family Planning Commission in early 2018, which saw it drop the family planning part from its name. Has China forgone population intervention and started to pursue a liberal population policy? This article demonstrates that the Chinese political leadership is still determined to steer the direction of future demographic developments, even though it changed course and has to employ new modes of steering. In fact, it has even elevated political steering of demographic developments to new heights under the rubric of ‘top-level design’ (dingceng sheji). This study takes a comparative look at the two ends of the life course, birth and old age, to reveal the continuity and change in population planning and policy discourses in China. In sum, this article finds that while the ‘one-child policy’ is gone for good, population planning in a broader understanding—including policies on birth, aging, migration, and urbanization—is alive and well and it will stay here for the foreseeable future.Accepted versio

Immigration, population, and foreign workforce in Singapore : an overview of trends, policies, and issues

Immigration has been a “hot button” issue in Singapore in recent years. This paper provides an overview of the key policies, trends, and issues relating to immigration, population, and foreign workforce in the city-state. The paper begins by looking at Singapore’s current immigration landscape, and then examines the city-state’s foreign manpower regime, which constitutes the institutional foundation for immigration to Singapore. The highly intertwined immigration and foreign labour policies are then explained along two fundamental underlying dimensions – economy and demography. The paper ends by looking at local grassroots society’s reactions to the influx of immigrants in recent times, and the ways in which the Singapore government has since tried to address such concerns.Ministry of Education (MOE)Published versionThe research and writing of this paper has been supported by an AcRF Tier 2 Grant from the Ministry of Education, Singapore. We acknowledge Professor Min Zhou’s valuable suggestions and her instrumental role in initiating the project of which this paper is a part