published_or_final_version / Geography / Master / Master of Arts in China Development Studies

Thesis (M.A.)--Taiwen da xue. / Reproduced from typescript copy. Bibliography: leaves 131-142.

Thesis (M.A.)--Taiwen da xue. / Reproduced from typescript copy. Bibliography: leaves 131-142.

published_or_final_version / Geography and Geology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

China has experienced unprecedented growth since the open door policy began at the end of the 1970s and is currently in position as the world’s second largest economy in terms of gross domestic product. Much of the academic community already considers China a dominant economic power and potentially the most important nation state in terms of its current and future role in the global economy. In addition, the last 50 years has produced a plethora of research on the importance of cities and on their profound economic contribution under persistent international trends of globalization. One prime example of the culmination and prominence of this research, Saskia Sassen’s The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo, delineates specific characteristics of true global cities, citing the three titled cities as the only prime examples in existence. Based on the economic prominence of China as a nation-state, this dissertation aims to view China’s prominent contemporary cities through the lens of Sassen’s global city alongside other relevant and related theories and data in order to determine whether a true global city exists today within Mainland China. It then evaluates the current status of Chinese cities with respect to the observed effects of globalization and on the hypothetical path to true global city status. A number of theories relating to Chinese cities are developed in this respect, including the ‘shared spotlight’ theory and the ‘polarity of global city functions’ theory. Finally, an attempt is made to directly associate the distinct global economic roles and developmental paths of Beijing and Shanghai to the unique political and economic policy and action demonstrated by the Chinese Communist Party. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis, the conclusion is drawn that Chinese cities, specifically Beijing and Shanghai, have taken divergent paths and play very distinct economic roles, as opposed to showing the natural agglomeration of global city functions one would expect to find in a world economic power under an increasingly globalizing world economy. Additionally, an associated conclusion is drawn that the unique developmental paths and the resulting distinct roles can be directly associated with actions and policies of the Chinese Communist Party. / published_or_final_version / China Development Studies / Master / Master of Arts in China Development Studies

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2007. / "Graduate Program in Sociology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-243).

No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Architecture / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Geography / Master / Master of Philosophy

The study explores the relationship between lineage, social capital and in situ urbanization of “villages within city” in the context of China’s rapid urban expansion. The literature reviewed shows that there have been studies on many aspects of “villages within city” since the middle 1990s. However, the role of lineages during the in situ urbanization of “villages within city” is largely under-examined and remains as a research gap. This study endeavors to fill this cross-disciplinary gap. Taking notice of the differences between single-lineage “villages within city” and multi-lineage ones, the study explores the following two research questions: (1) does the level of social capital vary among “villages within city” with different lineage structures? If yes, in what way? (2) does social capital in “villages within city” influence the outcomes of urbanization? If yes, what role does it play? In order to address the above research questions, the study firstly consults three areas of study, namely, lineage, social capital and in situ urbanization of “villages within city”. Through examining the relationships among the three key research variables, the thesis demonstrates the significance of theoretical integration of the three concepts and develops a tentative analytical framework. Given the different lineage structures, it is hypothesized that single-lineage “villages within city”, compared with multi-lineage ones, are more likely to possess higher levels of social capital at the administrative village level, and thus could achieve better outcomes of urbanization. To test the hypotheses, two representative “villages within city” with different lineage structures in Futian district of Shenzhen — the single-lineage Xiasha administrative village (including six natural villages which are lived by six Huang sub-lineages) and the multi-lineage Shawei administrative village (including three natural villages that are inhabited by different lineages of Wen, Mo and Liang) — are selected as the case study sites after examining the development trajectory of villages and lineages in Shenzhen. The empirical study measures the levels of social capital in Xiasha and Shawei at both the natural village level and administrative village level through the use of a questionnaire survey, and examines the outcomes of urbanization of Xiasha and Shawei through literature review, department interview, site study and observation. Three major findings are identified through analyzing the case study: (1) lineage structures in some Chinese “villages within city” are institutional legacies of rural collectivization in the late 1950s; (2) there exists a higher level of social capital at the administrative village level in single-lineage “village within city” than that in multi-lineage one; (3) social capital at the administrative village level, other than that at the natural village level, has a positive role in promoting in situ urbanization of “villages within city” in terms of collective economy development, physical environment construction and lineage culture reservation. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy