The Institutions, Networks and Space Shaping of Transnational Labor Migration

Principle Investigator：Chiung-Chih Chen, Postdoctoral Researcher, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University（2018-2020）

Principle Investigator：Chiung-Chih Chen, Postdoctoral Researcher, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University（2018-2020）

The research project is action-oriented. Foreign labor policies, such as the broker system in Taiwan and dual layers foreign labor system (EPS workers / Undocumented workers) in South Korea, were designed to treat people differently under the category of citizens and non-citizens. When the modern nation-state political institution combines with capitalism, it is difficult to change these policies as the foreign labors are unable to vote.  
Despite their different trajectories in foreign labor policies, Taiwan and South Korea provide the possibilities of inter-referencing and complement each other. In this comparative study, I will cut in through two different dimensions. The first dimension is to figure out how international society intervenes or involves in the change of foreign labor institution in these two countries, such as the Yellow Code from EU and the influences of RBA regulation. The other dimension asks how foreign workers and local societies agglomerate. It includes the connections of trade unions, migrant networks, and NGOs. I try to answer a question: If it is possible to change, what is the mechanism of cohesion?