Jamber Li (MS&E) & Jacob Reidhead (Sociology)
Abstract & Presenters
Guanxi, defined as relationships of reciprocal obligation, is a significant organizing force in Chinese society. In Xiang-tu Zhong-guo (From the Soil), Chinese sociologist Fei Xiao-Tong proposes a structural theory contrasting the relation-based associations of rural China with group-based associations of urban society and the West.
Jacob Reidhead (Sociology) will present Fei's original theory and propose two empirically testable extensions to contemporary cross-societal comparisons.
Jamber Li (MS&E) tackles the question of whether particular cultures confer competitive advantage in the international community. Drawing on his research of high-tech entrepreneurial ventures in China, Jamber will highlight the utilities and hazards of extending Fei's structural model of rural China to Chinese society at large.