So I’m going to a conference. Here’s my ‘excerpt.’ Probably need more content. Someone give me some conclusions, fast:

My field research consists of recorded verbal interviews with migrant workers in Wuhan, and focuses on the relationship between national level policy reform with actual on-the-ground enforcement of these rules. So far results are inconclusive. Of particular interest are China’s recently implemented Rural Land Reforms and Labor Contract Law Reforms. The former, implemented at the beginning of the financial crisis, seeks to formalize de-facto land right usage arrangements that migrants use when moving into cities. My understanding is that the policy is little more than tacit acknowledgment of urbanization trends already well underway within China. The Labor Contract Reform Law, implemented at the beginning of 2008, seeks to provide numerous classes of workers with additional rights in the event of a labor dispute. Amid a worsening job situation, there is considerable anecdotal evidence that authorities are being told to look the other way during these disputes. 

The original research proposal sought to document case studies of employee-employer disputes, although thus far I have not had the opportunity to explore this issue given the sensitivity of such topics. Any advice for how / whom to approach would be appreciated. By the end of the grant, my hope is to be able to elucidate some of the interactions of these complex forces as they relate to China’s urbanization and demographic shifts.