Author Archive

Reza Hasmath

Reza Hasmath is a Lecturer in Chinese Politics in the School of interdisciplinary Area Studies, and an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta. He has held positions in Management and Sociology at the Universities of Toronto and Melbourne, after receiving a Ph.D. in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge. He has previously worked for a number of think-tanks, consultancies, NGOs and development agencies in USA, Canada, UK, Australia and China.

Reza's research interests include: political sociology, ethnicity, immigration and migration, work and the labour market, NGO behaviour, and international development.

Dramatic changes do not appear to be on the agenda in China, at least at the surface level. The new political regime, under the stewardship of Xi Jinping, inherited an economy with widening socio-economic disparities and accompanying social welfare concerns. Farmers, migrant workers and lower/middle-class urbanities grumble about rising living costs, and a perceived lower quality of life. Their concerns are further cemented by greater public awareness of corruption in both the state and non-state sectors. This may be the cause of lower levels of trust and confidence in public and private institutions by the general public. But in spite of the discontent, changes are happening. Administrative in nature, perhaps, these changes will have strong implications for state-society relations going forward. What can we expect?