讲座概况

时间：2025年10月28日（周二）19:00-21:00

地点：厦门大学嘉庚二号楼（成枫楼）512

演讲嘉宾：邓燕华

演讲题目：An Inconvenient Niche: The Subsistence of Chinese Unregistered Eldercare Institutions

内容提要：In addition to formal nursing homes, there are a considerable number of unregistered eldercare institutions in China. These facilities are typically small in scale, under-equipped, and lack official operating licenses. Although they are technically un-legalized because of their unregistered status, they serve as an imperfect yet indispensable alternative for the low-income elderlies who cannot age at home. As a result, the existence of such facilities is often tacitly tolerated by local governments. This paper introduces the concept of the “inconvenient niche” to capture the status of such organizations, which are excluded from institutional frameworks yet aligned with the needs and rights of marginalized groups. Using unregistered eldercare institutions as a case, this study extends the analytical framework of the organizational niche to the ambiguous, legally peripheral spaces in which informal organizations operate. We analyse how social demands, state regulations, and the concerns of local authorities have jointly shaped an inconvenient niche in which unregistered eldercare institutions exist. We emphasise the importance of organizational adaptation and local state tolerance for the survival of organizations with social legitimacy but without legal licenses. This paper concludes by offering policy implications to improve conditions for unregistered eldercare institutions and enhance social protection for impoverished elderly populations。

# 主持人：刘峰

会计发展研究中心主任/会计学系教授

# 主办单位

厦门大学会计发展研究中心、厦门大学会计学系、厦门大学会计学系MPAcc中心

#  项目支持

冠亚厦门大学会计系发展基金

嘉宾介绍

邓燕华，厦门大学社会与人类学院教授、博士生导师、院长，主要研究政治社会学和组织社会学，学术成果发表在The China Quarterly, The China Journal, Journal of Contemporary China, Journal of Peasant Studies, Modern China, Political Studies 以及《中国社会科学》《社会学研究》《管理世界》等杂志。邓燕华曾任南京大学当代中国研究院副院长、《中国研究》（CSSCI集刊）编辑部主任等职，入选中组部“青年拔尖人才计划”、南京大学“登峰计划”，是国家社科基金重大项目的首席专家，连续四年上榜爱思唯尔“中国高被引学者”名单，入选中国知网“高被引学者Top1%”名单，曾被遴选为哈佛燕京学社访问学者、法国南特高等研究院研究员和新加坡国立大学东亚研究所研究员。