Path dependence and the evolution of HRM in China
研究从17世纪末至今中国人力资源管理的演变历程，用路径依赖理论划分五个历史阶段，分析制度环境如何塑造其独特特征，解释中外差异及国内差异。
This study explores Chinese HRM history from the late seventeenth century, focusing on the mechanisms of evolution. We use path dependence theory to divide this process into five historical stages: (1) pre-Opium War (before 1840); (2) early modernization period (1840–1917); (3) inter-war period (1918–1949); (4) centrally planned economy period (1949–1979); (5) reform and opening-up (1979-present). Using detailed historical records, we examined how the evolution of HRM in China was shaped by firms’ path-dependent choices in response to ‘path-breaking’ events, according to institutional endowments. Because of the different institutional contexts in which they emerged, HRM institutions in later stages preserved the characteristics of those in earlier ones. This explains the underlying logic that differentiates HRM in China from HRM in other countries and creates disparities within China.