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Beyond the Dormitory Labour Regime: Comparing Chinese and Indian Workplace–Residence Systems as Strategies of Migrant Labour Control

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  • Charlotte Goodburn

    (King’s College London, UK)

  • Soumya Mishra

    (King’s College London, UK)

Abstract

This article explores two examples of worker housing in India, and compares these with China’s ‘dormitory labour regime’, arguing that these methods of labour accommodation are part of a broader, increasingly global, workplace-residence regime aimed at migrant labour control for the purposes of value extraction. Contrary to previous studies, it argues that China’s system is not unique, but part of the political economy of contemporary global capitalism. Although there exist historical and contextual variations between the two Indian case studies, drawn from the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) garment sector and the Andhra Pradesh electronics industry, as well as between the Indian and Chinese contexts, the aims and many of the outcomes are similar. Moving beyond a focus on the country- and space-specific ‘dormitory labour regime’ facilitates a broader understanding of the crucial role contemporary workplace-residence systems play in enhancing control of migrant labour for the benefit of global accumulation networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Charlotte Goodburn & Soumya Mishra, 2024. "Beyond the Dormitory Labour Regime: Comparing Chinese and Indian Workplace–Residence Systems as Strategies of Migrant Labour Control," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(2), pages 505-526, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:38:y:2024:i:2:p:505-526
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170221142717
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wendy Wolford & Saturnino M. Borras Jr. & Ruth Hall & Ian Scoones & Ben White & Michael Levien, 2013. "Regimes of Dispossession: From Steel Towns to Special Economic Zones," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 44(2), pages 381-407, March.
    2. Amrita Dhillon & Vegard Iversen & Gaute Torsvik, 2021. "Employee Referral, Social Proximity, and Worker Discipline: Theory and Suggestive Evidence from India," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 69(3), pages 1003-1030.
    3. Vegard Iversen & Kunal Sen & Arjan Verschoor & Amaresh Dubey, 2009. "Job Recruitment Networks and Migration to Cities in India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(4), pages 522-543.
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    Cited by:

    1. Goodburn, Charlotte, 2025. "Urbanising the Villages: Three modes of village incorporation and the implications for structural transition in India’s “Chinese-style” special economic zones (SEZs)," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).

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