Debates over labor reforms in Post-Mao China (1978-1995)

Why was it that, from 1978 to 1995, the central government of the People's Republic of China did not successfully implement labor reforms? The paper explains the outcomes of China's labor reforms in a statist perspective. The hypothesis is that, despite labor reforms of 1978 to 1995, due to the limited autonomy of the central government, China has not successfully formulated and implemented employment reforms. Ideological coherence and organizational unity among the central party-state elites are the preconditions for the autonomy, or more accurately, relative autonomy of central governments. Conflicts and debates among various factions destroy the cohesion of the central government, weakening the relative autonomy of the central government to act as a coherent entity.