Civil Society and China’s Social Welfare Reform

Abstract

Civil society has been absent most of the time throughout the Chinese history. It was since the 1978 reform that China has seen civil society develop at the same pace with the reform of social welfare system. With an immature civil society, two wrong tendencies have shown up while China is reforming the social welfare system: with regard to the main body in the reform, there has been excessive socialization but inadequate nationalization; with regard to the channels that deliver welfare services, there has been inadequate socialization (marketization) but excessive nationalization. China shall build a social welfare system with government playing a leading role and social forces (esp. charitable organizations) playing a supporting role.

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