INEQUALITIES IN ACCESS TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES IN A CHINESE CITY

Despite their strongly egalitarian ideology, there is considerable evi dence from socialist countries that individuals of higher socioeconomi c and political status have privileged access to housing of good quali ty and at a low cost. In this study of urban China, we examine the bro ader issue of the quality of neighborhoods to which people have access . We find that the political position of one's work unit has strong ef fects on locational resources. Individual characteristics including ed ucation, occupational standing, and political status also have signifi cant effects, but income does not. We interpret these results in terms of a housing system based not on individuals but on firms, and not on markets but on rules of allocation.