For book clubs seeking meaningful, globally aware reads that inspire serious conversation, Poverty and Pacification by Dorothy J. Solinger is a compelling and thought-provoking selection.
This groundbreaking work uncovers the largely hidden story behind China’s celebrated economic transformation. In the mid-1990s, as market reforms intensified, millions of state-employed urban workers — once guaranteed lifelong security — were dismissed in massive layoffs. Suddenly unemployed and under-supported, they became casualties of a system racing toward modernization.
Rather than focusing solely on policy, Solinger centers the lived experiences of these displaced workers. She examines the creation and limitations of the dibao welfare system, showing how it functioned not only as assistance but as a political tool to maintain calm during economic upheaval.
Discussion Themes Your Club Can Explore:
The ethical trade-offs of rapid economic reform
The fragility of social contracts between governments and citizens
Poverty as a byproduct of modernization
How states manage dissent during structural change
Parallels to labor displacement in other countries
This book will encourage your group to think critically about power, policy, and progress — and to question whose voices are heard when nations tell stories of success. It is intellectually rich, socially relevant, and ideal for a book club ready for a deeper global conversation. Poverty and Pacification: The Chinese State Abandons the Old Working Class Dorothy J. Solinger
This groundbreaking work uncovers the largely hidden story behind China’s celebrated economic transformation. In the mid-1990s, as market reforms intensified, millions of state-employed urban workers — once guaranteed lifelong security — were dismissed in massive layoffs. Suddenly unemployed and under-supported, they became casualties of a system racing toward modernization.
Rather than focusing solely on policy, Solinger centers the lived experiences of these displaced workers. She examines the creation and limitations of the dibao welfare system, showing how it functioned not only as assistance but as a political tool to maintain calm during economic upheaval.
Discussion Themes Your Club Can Explore:
The ethical trade-offs of rapid economic reform
The fragility of social contracts between governments and citizens
Poverty as a byproduct of modernization
How states manage dissent during structural change
Parallels to labor displacement in other countries
This book will encourage your group to think critically about power, policy, and progress — and to question whose voices are heard when nations tell stories of success. It is intellectually rich, socially relevant, and ideal for a book club ready for a deeper global conversation.
Poverty and Pacification: The Chinese State Abandons the Old Working Class
Dorothy J. Solinger