China's Social Welfare: The Third Turning Point(China Today)

The extraordinary rise of China is one of the greatest global stories of recent times. However, China's development has been described as ‘uneven, uncoordinated, and unsustainable’, and has now reached a critical turning point. To transform itself into a successful high-income economy, China urgently needs to develop a new welfare regime. Social policy and social welfare programmes are pivotal not only to meet mounting social needs but also to promote social cohesion. This timely book explores key turning points in China’s trajectory, from the creation of a socialist egalitarian society promising a relatively stable livelihood at the expense of economic development, through the market-oriented reforms which have dismantled the traditional social protection system. The authors present the formidable social challenges ahead, including demographic shift, residential migration, and corrosive inequalities, and outline the emerging forms of social security protection in urban and rural areas, community-based social care services, non-governmental organizations and the social work profession. To redress inequalities and strengthen social cohesion, China needs to construct a robust developmental and redistributive strategy with shared responsibility between different levels of governments, as well as between civil society, the state and the market. This comprehensive and astute guide to one of China’s key current challenges will be welcomed by students and scholars of social policy, welfare, sociology and political science, and all interested in contemporary China.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables Map Chronology Preface List of Abbreviations 1. Overview 2. From Socialism to Modernization 3. Social Challenges Under Market Reform 4. Urban Social Protection 5. Rural Social Protection 6. Social Care for Older People 7. Innovating Social Governance: The Emergence of Social Work Organizations 8. The Third Turning Point Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Joe C. B. Leung is Professor of Social Work and Social Administration at The University of Hong Kong Yuebin Xu is Professor of Social Development and Public Policy at Beijing Normal University, China

Review :
"In this fascinating book, Joe Leung and Yuebin Xu provide a definitive account of China’s welfare system. Tracing its historical development, they discuss its impact and the challenges it faces. Their incisive analysis is an essential resource for anyone interested in social welfare in China today. It will be widely consulted for years to come." James Midgley, University of California, Berkeley "China's Social Welfare is a solid and thorough presentation of governmental initiatives in the realm of social welfare, with chief emphasis on several critical aspects of welfare that have loomed large over the past few years. The key feature of the book is its up-to-date coverage of all pertinent regulations and its insight into the problems in executing them." Dorothy J. Solinger, University of California, Irvine