Steve
Stephen Philion Lecturer/PhD Candidate Department of Sociology 2424 Maile Way Social Sciences Bldg. # 247 Honolulu, HI 96822
On Thu, 11 May 2000, Carrol Cox wrote:
Doug wrote:
> >
> > If I had the nerve, I'd love to do a Julian Simon-style bet with
> > Brown on this. I suspect these disasters won't materialize.
>
> The following seems one of the soft spots in Brown's argument:
>
> *****
> Resisting the import of grain throughout most of 1994, Beijing let prices rise as
> much
> as possible to encourage farmers to stay on the land. In recent years an
> estimated
> 120 million people, mostly from the interior provinces, have moved to cities in
> search of
> high-paying jobs. This roofless, floating population, roughly the size of
> Japan's, wants
> to be part of the economic revolution. As a potential source of political
> instability, these
> migrants are a matter of deep concern in Beijing. The government is trying to
> maintain
> a delicate balance, letting the price of grain rise enough to keep farmers on
> the land
> but not so much that it creates urban unrest that could lead to political
> upheaval.*****
>
> Some recent post (or perhaps something I read elsewhere) suggested that
> large migrations from rural to urban areas are usually the result of some
> push, not a voluntary seeking after "high wages." Brown seems to assume
> the latter in China's case. Perhaps Steve could comment.
>
> Carrol
>
>
>