Lewisian Turning Point in the Chinese Economy : Comparison with East Asian Countries

Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. "In recent years there has been heated debate surrounding China's labour market, many economic commentators have argued that China has passed the 'Lewisian turning point' in its economic development as migrant workers have become scarce in coastal and urban area resulting in increased wage. This study challenges this assumption through presenting a close examination of the historical evolution in China's Labor market and empirically and theoretically analysing the changing structure of China's labor market in the context of the Lewisian turning point. The host of contributors offer a comprehensive study of the Labor market in China against the experiences of other East and South Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea, and Indonesia. This volume finds that surplus labour still exists in the rural areas of China, and in urban industries which face continuing shortages in labor. Its findings also reveal that income distribution in China has worsened due to the existence of surplus labour and the absence of institutional reforms. These conclusions have significant political implication as it could lead to social and political instability. Lewisian Turning Point in the Chinese Economy will be invaluable reading for researchers interested in the China and economic development."-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Turning Point in the Labor Surplus Economy: Concept and Approach....Pages 3-14 Front Matter....Pages 15-15 Turning Point in Japan: Structural Change in the Labor Market and Significance....Pages 17-41 Structural Change of the Labor Market and the Turning Point in South Korea....Pages 42-57 Agricultural Surplus Labor and Poverty in Indonesia....Pages 58-75 Labor Market and the Lewisian Turning Point in China....Pages 76-100 Front Matter....Pages 101-101 Demographic Transition and Regional Employment....Pages 103-118 Regional Migration and Structural Change in the Labor Market....Pages 119-135 Foreign Direct Investment and Employment....Pages 136-154 Labor Market Transformation in Shanghai....Pages 155-180 Labor Migration and Urban-Rural Income Disparity....Pages 181-195 Front Matter....Pages 197-197 China’s Turning Point from an East Asian Perspective: Prospective Recapitulation....Pages 199-214 Back Matter....Pages 215-216 This volume is concerned with labor market developments in China from a comparative perspective on selected East and South Asian countries. It closely examines the changing structure of China's labor market in the context of the Lewisisan turning point in ecomomic development.