@article{ART003245357},
author={Shin, Sunyoung and Jongchul Kim},
title={Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability},
journal={Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies},
issn={1225-8539},
year={2025},
volume={32},
number={3},
pages={37-70},
doi={10.18107/japs.2025.32.3.002}
TY - JOUR
AU - Shin, Sunyoung
AU - Jongchul Kim
TI - Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability
JO - Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies
PY - 2025
VL - 32
IS - 3
PB - Institute of Global Affairs
SP - 37
EP - 70
SN - 1225-8539
AB - China’s grid governance has rapidly expanded nationwide since the zero-COVID era, aiming to maintain social stability and strengthen grassroots services. Yet the system depends on grid workers (网格员), who are low-wage and precariously employed laborers. This study analyzes how Chinese citizens perceive this contradiction using LDA topic modeling and deep-learning sentiment analysis of approximately 3,500 social media posts collected from Zhihu (知乎), Weibo (微博), and Baidu Tieba (百度贴吧). The results show predominantly negative sentiment, with “Job Environment and Compensation” the most negative (–0.80). Drawing on Scott’s (1990) notion of “hidden transcripts,” we argue that netizens indirectly criticize the gap between the state’s discourse of stability and the unstable means of its implementation, often through complaints about labor conditions rather than overt dissent. These contradictions may weaken confidence in the state’s stability narrative and raise questions about the long-term viability of performance-based legitimacy.
KW - Grid governance;Grid workers;Precarious labor;Social media analysis;Sentiment analysis;China
DO - 10.18107/japs.2025.32.3.002
ER -
Shin, Sunyoung and Jongchul Kim. (2025). Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability. Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies, 32(3), 37-70.
Shin, Sunyoung and Jongchul Kim. 2025, "Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability", Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies, vol.32, no.3 pp.37-70. Available from: doi:10.18107/japs.2025.32.3.002
Shin, Sunyoung, Jongchul Kim "Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability" Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies 32.3 pp.37-70 (2025) : 37.
Shin, Sunyoung, Jongchul Kim. Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability. 2025; 32(3), 37-70. Available from: doi:10.18107/japs.2025.32.3.002
Shin, Sunyoung and Jongchul Kim. "Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability" Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies 32, no.3 (2025) : 37-70.doi: 10.18107/japs.2025.32.3.002
Shin, Sunyoung; Jongchul Kim. Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability. Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies, 32(3), 37-70. doi: 10.18107/japs.2025.32.3.002
Shin, Sunyoung; Jongchul Kim. Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability. Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies. 2025; 32(3) 37-70. doi: 10.18107/japs.2025.32.3.002
Shin, Sunyoung, Jongchul Kim. Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability. 2025; 32(3), 37-70. Available from: doi:10.18107/japs.2025.32.3.002
Shin, Sunyoung and Jongchul Kim. "Precarious Labor in China’s Grid Governance: Public Perceptions and Implications for Regime Sustainability" Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies 32, no.3 (2025) : 37-70.doi: 10.18107/japs.2025.32.3.002
