An article in the New Yorker that the riot in Foxconn, Taiyuan, China, is “about institutions.”

Evan Osnos reports that 79,000 people work and live in the plant that produces Apple products; 2,000 staff were involved in the riot, 5,000 police were sent in to manage the conflict, and 40 workers were injured as a result.

Foxconn has become notorious, as a high rate of workers have attempted suicide due to their poor working and living conditions.

The New Yorker reports that China’s economy is slowing down and that workers expect to be protected against economic stagnation. However, the national trade union that has been managing industrial disputes for the past 60 years seems ill-equipped to handle present-day socio-economic problems.

The social norms in China demand that the government protect workers.