Search Result

Srl

Item

ID: 146517

Building the new socialist countrysid: tracking public policy and public opinion changes in China / Stepan, Matthias; Han, Enze ; Reeskens, Tim

Reeskens, Tim	Journal Article
	0 Rating(s) & 0 Review(s)

Summary/Abstract

Ever since the introduction of the national political programme of “Building a new socialist countryside” (BNSC) in the early 2000s, renewed focus has been cast on how the Chinese government manages the gap between its rural and urban areas in the new millennium. Previous research has mostly studied the social and political consequences of the BNSC initiative without paying particular attention to its effects on public opinion. In this article, we present an analysis of the 2002 and 2008 waves of the mainland China subset of the Asian Barometer. Our results show a significant shift in the perceptions of the rural population in respect to how much impact government policies have on daily life. This shift brings rural perceptions more in line with those of the urban population in 2002. The paper concludes with the implications of our findings for the study of the relations between public opinion and public policy in China.

Key Words

Rural China ; Building a New Socialist Countryside ; Public Opinion and Public Policy ; CCP Regime Legitimacy

Links

'Full Text'

In Basket

Export

ID: 147648

Establishment of China’s new type rural social insurance pension: a process perspective / Stepan, Matthias; Lu, Quan

Stepan, Matthias	Journal Article
	0 Rating(s) & 0 Review(s)

Summary/Abstract

This study explores the processes and outcomes of the public policy reforms from 2002 to 2014, targeting income security among the elderly for a segment of the Chinese population that was increasingly marginalised throughout the 1990s: the rural population. The authors reconstruct the policy process from 2002 until 2014 that led to the establishment of the New Type Rural Social Insurance Pension and assess its impact on providing adequate and sustainable old-age income. One particular focus is the study of the influence of international actors. Yet, as key to the success of the initiative, the authors identify the decisive support of the central level leadership, which facilitated the process by announcing a new development model and providing earmarked transfers from the central government. Despite the improvements in the income security of elderly rural Chinese, questions remain about the Chinese pension system’s long-term sustainability and the influence of the system’s fragmentation on social mobility and equality.

Key Words

China ; Rural China ; Policy Process ; Pensions

Links

'Full Text'

In Basket

Export