While much of the world celebrates China’s meteoric rise as a global economic powerhouse, this groundbreaking work shifts the focus to those who paid the highest price for that transformation. In the mid-1990s, as China accelerated market reforms and prepared to enter the World Trade Organization, millions of state-owned factories collapsed under competitive pressure. The solution: lay off tens of millions of middle-aged, lifetime-employed urban workers who had once enjoyed guaranteed jobs and welfare security.
This book invites readers to confront a difficult question: What happens to a social contract when modernization renders its most loyal citizens obsolete?
Solinger traces how these displaced workers were left without stable livelihoods and how the state introduced the Minimum Livelihood Guarantee (dibao) — a limited welfare measure designed not only to provide minimal relief, but to maintain social stability and prevent unrest. Through deeply personal interviews, she humanizes individuals who were relegated to invisibility in the name of progress.
Why This Book Is Ideal for Book Clubs:
Provokes Rich Discussion – It challenges the common perception of economic reform as universally beneficial and opens debate on the human cost of modernization.
Global Relevance – Though centered on China, the themes of labor displacement, welfare policy, inequality, and state control resonate worldwide.
Human-Centered Storytelling – The interviews give voice to people rarely represented in global economic narratives.
Policy and Ethics – It encourages thoughtful dialogue about government responsibility, social stability, and economic reform.
Contemporary Insight – As nations continue grappling with automation, privatization, and shifting labor markets, the book feels strikingly current.
For a book club that values depth, global awareness, and meaningful engagement with complex social realities, Poverty and Pacification is more than a historical study — it is a conversation starter about power, progress, and the people who are left behind.
This book invites readers to confront a difficult question: What happens to a social contract when modernization renders its most loyal citizens obsolete?
Solinger traces how these displaced workers were left without stable livelihoods and how the state introduced the Minimum Livelihood Guarantee (dibao) — a limited welfare measure designed not only to provide minimal relief, but to maintain social stability and prevent unrest. Through deeply personal interviews, she humanizes individuals who were relegated to invisibility in the name of progress.
Why This Book Is Ideal for Book Clubs:
Provokes Rich Discussion – It challenges the common perception of economic reform as universally beneficial and opens debate on the human cost of modernization.
Global Relevance – Though centered on China, the themes of labor displacement, welfare policy, inequality, and state control resonate worldwide.
Human-Centered Storytelling – The interviews give voice to people rarely represented in global economic narratives.
Policy and Ethics – It encourages thoughtful dialogue about government responsibility, social stability, and economic reform.
Contemporary Insight – As nations continue grappling with automation, privatization, and shifting labor markets, the book feels strikingly current.
For a book club that values depth, global awareness, and meaningful engagement with complex social realities, Poverty and Pacification is more than a historical study — it is a conversation starter about power, progress, and the people who are left behind.
This selection will not only broaden perspectives but foster one of the most thought-provoking discussions your group may have all year.
Poverty and Pacification: The Chinese State Abandons the Old Working Class
Dorothy J. Solinger