{"id":5,"date":"2012-10-25T22:04:15","date_gmt":"2012-10-25T22:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/template-faculty01\/?page_id=5"},"modified":"2026-01-28T16:02:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T16:02:25","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/yang-cao\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Education:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ph.D., Cornell University (2000)<\/p>\n

M.A., Cornell University (1995)<\/p>\n

Undergraduate Education, Renmin University of China (1989-1992)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Areas of study:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Social Stratification and Mobility; Work and Organizations; Social and Cultural Change; Contemporary Chinese Society; Quantitative Methods.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Academic Appointments:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Professor in Sociology and Public Policy, UNC Charlotte (2025-present)<\/p>\n

Associate Professor in Sociology and Public Policy, UNC Charlotte (2016-2025)<\/p>\n

Professor in Sociology, Zhejiang University (2013-2016)<\/p>\n

Associate Professor in Sociology and Organizational Science, UNC Charlotte (2008-2013)<\/p>\n

Assistant Professor in Sociology and Organizational Science, UNC Charlotte (2003-2008)<\/p>\n

Assistant Professor in Sociology, Louisiana State University (2000-2003)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Administrative Positions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Graduate Program Director, Department of Sociology, UNC Charlotte (2019-2023)<\/p>\n

Chair, Department of Sociology, Zhejiang University (2015-2016)<\/p>\n

Director, Sociological Research Institute, Zhejiang University (2013-2015)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Editorial Services:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Editor in Chief, Social Science Research\u00a0<\/em>(2024-2026)<\/p>\n

Co-Editor in Chief,\u00a0Social Science Research\u00a0<\/em>(2020-2023)<\/p>\n

Senior Editor,\u00a0Management & Organization Review\u00a0<\/em>(2017-2020)<\/p>\n

Associate Editor & Co-Editor,\u00a0Social Science Research\u00a0<\/em>(2015-2019)<\/p>\n

Consulting Editor,\u00a0American Journal of Sociology\u00a0<\/em>(2008-2010)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Representative Publications:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yang Cao. 2024. \u201cThe Cultural Consequences of Market Transition: An Empirical Examination of Rising Materialism in Twenty-First-Century China<\/a>.\u201d American Sociological Review<\/em> 89(3): 449-487.<\/p>\n

Yang Cao. 2020. \u201cEconomic Development, Market Transition, and Work Values in Post-Socialist China<\/a>.\u201d Social Forces<\/em> 99 (2): 760-796.<\/p>\n

Wei Zhao and Yang Cao. 2017. \u201cInstitutional Compatibility and the Diffusion of \u2018Best Practices\u2019: Human Resource Management in Foreign-Invested Enterprises in China<\/a>.\u201d Chinese Sociological Review<\/em> 49 (1): 1-34.<\/p>\n

Yang Cao and Beth A. Rubin. 2014. \u201cMarket Reform and the Deinstitutionalization of Standard Work Hours in Postsocialist China<\/a>.\u201d Industrial & Labor Relations Review<\/em> 67 (3): 864-890.<\/p>\n

Yang Cao and Wei Zhao. 2009. \u201cLocalization in the Age of Globalization: Institutional Duality and Labor Management Structures in China\u2019s Foreign-Invested Enterprises<\/a>.\u201d Research in the Sociology of Work<\/em> 19: 165-201.<\/p>\n

Yang Cao and Chiung-Yin Hu. 2007. \u201cGender and Job Mobility in Postsocialist China: A Longitudinal Study of Job Changes in Six Coastal Cities<\/a>.\u201d Social Forces<\/em> 85 (4): 1535-1560.<\/p>\n

Yang Cao. 2004. \u201cBehind the Rising Meritocracy: Market, Politics, and Cultural Change in Urban China<\/a>.\u201d Social Science Research<\/em> 33 (3): 435-463.<\/p>\n

Yang Cao. 2001. \u201cCareers inside Organizations: A Comparative Study of Promotion Determination in Reforming China<\/a>.\u201d Social Forces<\/em> 80 (2): 683-712.<\/p>\n

Yang Cao and Victor Nee. 2000. \u201cComment: Controversies and Evidence in the Market Transition Debate<\/a>.\u201d American Journal of Sociology<\/em> 105 (4): 1175-1189.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grants and Fellowships (Selected):<\/strong><\/p>\n

PI, \u201cMarket Transition and Cultural Change in 21st Century China: An Empirical Examination through the Lens of Work Values.\u201d UNC-Charlotte Capitalism Studies Program ($10,000), 2020-2022<\/p>\n

Co-PI (with L. Xie and Y. Wang), \u201cAccelerating Spectrum Access in Cognitive Radio Networks via Social Analysis of Secondary Users.\u201d National Science Foundation, Grant No.1343355 ($600,000), 2013-2016<\/p>\n

Visiting Fellowship, \u201cAn Institutional Analysis of How Employment Affects Health in China\u2019s Transitional Economy, 1989-2006.\u201d East West Center ($12,000), 2009<\/p>\n

PI (with co-PI W. Zhao), \u201cInstitutional Compatibility and High-Commitment HR Practices in an Emerging Economy: A Study of MNC Affiliates in China.\u201d Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation, Project No.111 ($62,825), 2007-2009<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Education: Ph.D., Cornell University (2000) M.A., Cornell University (1995) Undergraduate Education, Renmin University of China (1989-1992)   Areas of study: Social Stratification and Mobility; Work and Organizations; Social and Cultural Change; Contemporary Chinese Society; Quantitative Methods.   Academic Appointments: Professor … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":267,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/yang-cao\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/yang-cao\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/yang-cao\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/yang-cao\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/267"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/yang-cao\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/yang-cao\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/yang-cao\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions\/81"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/yang-cao\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}