Abstract
Recent decades have witnessed large migration flows from rural to urban China.
This chapter explores the potential of Social Network Analysis (SNA) for assessing and understanding social integration in contemporary Chinese cities. We begin by presenting the background and the complex, multi-dimensional and inter-connected factors that typically affect segregation and inequality within urban China. SNA is introduced as a potential analytical approach for characterising and examining the ongoing dynamic social integration process. We discuss some initial findings based upon an exploratory case study in Shanghai on multi-dimensional segregation in the social care sector. We also identify the limitations of SNA as a relatively innovative method for researching social integration and call for a mixedmethods approach toward its application in examining the intricacy and complexity of social
integration in contemporary urban China.
This chapter explores the potential of Social Network Analysis (SNA) for assessing and understanding social integration in contemporary Chinese cities. We begin by presenting the background and the complex, multi-dimensional and inter-connected factors that typically affect segregation and inequality within urban China. SNA is introduced as a potential analytical approach for characterising and examining the ongoing dynamic social integration process. We discuss some initial findings based upon an exploratory case study in Shanghai on multi-dimensional segregation in the social care sector. We also identify the limitations of SNA as a relatively innovative method for researching social integration and call for a mixedmethods approach toward its application in examining the intricacy and complexity of social
integration in contemporary urban China.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Urban Inequality and Segregation in Europe and China |
| Subtitle of host publication | Towards a New Dialogue |
| Editors | Gwilym Pryce, Yaping Wang, Yu Chen, Jingjing Shan, Houkai Wei |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Chapter | 12 |
| Pages | 241-257 |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 23 Sept 2020 |
Research Groups and Themes
- SPS Centre for Urban and Public Policy Research