Speaker: Prof. Kam Wing Chan (University of Washington)

Reservation & Contact: Miriam Yang

cefc@cefc.com.hk / tel: 2876 6910

Speaker:

Kam Wing Chan is Professor in Geography at University of Washington. He received a BA and MSc from University of Hong Kong and a PhD from the University of Toronto. He is the author of Cities with Invisible Walls: Reinterpreting Urbanization in Post-1949 China, and some 60 articles and book chapters on China’s urbanization, cities, migration, urban labor market, spatial economy and the hukou (household registration) system. He has also served as consultants for the United Nations, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Labor Organization, and McKinsey & Co. and worked with the Chinese Government on a number of policy projects. His recent research focuses on Chinese cities, migrant labor, and the hukou reform. His commentaries and interviews have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Economist, The Guardian, The China Daily, BBC, China Radio International, South China Morning Post, Caixin and other international media. For more information, please visit his home page at http://faculty.washington.edu/kwchan/

Abstract:

China’s new leadership has called for the realization of “Chinese dream” of reviving the national strength and glory. As the country enters the urban age, a critical part of the Chinese dream is the “urban dream” – the promotion of urbanization to generate household consumption to put the economy on a sustainable footing. Yet a third of the 700 million Chinese urban dwellers today are not truly “urbanized”. They are the migrant population, who do not have an urban hukou, or household registration. To accomplish real urbanization, migrant workers need to become full urban residents. That requires offering them an urban hukou with the aim of ultimately abolishing the hukou system altogether. In this talk, Prof. Kam Wing Chan outlines a proposal to phase out the hukou system in 15 years.

ALL INTERESTED ARE WELCOME!

This seminar will be held in English.
Sebastian Veg, Director of the CEFC, will chair the session.
Snacks and drinks will be served after the seminar.
Seats are limited. Please confirm your attendance.