Reassessing the Hu—Wen era: a golden age for social policy

Howell, J. and Duckett, J. (2019) Reassessing the Hu—Wen era: a golden age for social policy. China Quarterly, 237, pp. 1-14. (doi: 10.1017/S0305741018001200)

[img]
Preview
Text
162349.pdf - Accepted Version

584kB

Abstract

The Hu—Wen era has been characterized as a “lost decade” for economic and political reform, but a “golden era” in terms of economic growth and political stability. Yet, relatively little attention has been paid to the social policies introduced during Hu and Wen’s decade in power. These important policies, however, abolished agricultural taxes, extended health insurance, pensions and income support to all rural as well as urban residents, and built a civic welfare infrastructure to address migrants’ grievances. These policies, some of which were developed under the preceding Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji leadership, were introduced for a complex mix of reasons. Their aim was not only to reduce inequalities but also to stimulate domestic consumption and sustain economic growth, offset the effects of China’s entry to the WTO and the global recession of 2008, and maintain social stability. They were the product of domestic bureaucratic politics and experimentation. They were also strongly influenced by China’s integration into the international economy, as well as by international governmental and non-governmental organizations and the ideas they introduced into China’s domestic policy networks. Although Hu—Wen era social policy reforms had only limited effects on reducing income inequality and involved complex politics, they did establish for the first time entitlements to social security and safety nets for all China’s population.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Duckett, Professor Jane
Authors: Howell, J., and Duckett, J.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
Journal Name:China Quarterly
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
ISSN:0305-7410
ISSN (Online):1468-2648
Published Online:03 December 2018
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2018 SOAS University of London
First Published:First published in China Quarterly 237: 1-14
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record

Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
589121Expanding, Not Shrinking, Social Programmes: The Politics of New Policies to Tackle Poverty and Inequality in Brazil, India, China and South AfricaJane DuckettEconomic and Social Research Council (ESRC)ES/J012629/1SPS - POLITICS