Research Into China's Rural Social Security System

Social security system, closely related to our country's reform, development and stability, is an essential part of socialist market economy structures. China has a population of 130 million, among which farmers account for 70%. Therefore, rural social security system must be the priority of the improvement upon China's social security system which otherwise will be seriously imperfect. As a result, it can't achieve its goals and will not function as well as we expect. Over many years, the China's academic world has made research into the improvement on the city social security system, of course, with more success, yet, to some degree, neglecting its equivalent in rural areas. So, practically speaking, rural social security system is in an imperfect or zero state in our country. For example, some social security items, such as old-age pension, medical insurance, industrial injury insurance and birth insurance etc., have rural residents excluded. With the establishment and improvement on rural socialist market economy system, the deepening of industrialization in the countryside, the rural aging problems and small-scale family tendency, farmers are now facing more and more market and life risks, with which the rural traditional security method-family security can not cope. It is necessary to establish a new type of rural social security system that must correspond to the development standards of rural productivity and economic structures. At present in our country, it is of great importance to speed up setting up and making rural social security system perfect. This can enhance agricultural modernization; increase the continuous development of rural economy. Meanwhile it can help to carry out our basic policy-the birth control effectively, deepen the reforms of township enterprises, regulate the distribution of farmers' income and help them to meet challenges brought about by China's accession to WTO.This paper, from the perspective of the combination of theory and practice, make a study of China's rural social security system from the following six points.I. The basic contents-mainly introducing implications and basic contents ofChina's social security system as well as its rural equivalent.II. The reforms--centering on the five stages in the course of rural social security system development, giving an overview of every stage, and relating background, content and achievements of its reform.III. Present situation and problems. The traditional rural social security system does not function as effectively as before and has more burdens than ever.IV. Necessity and feasibility about establishment and improvement on rural social security system.V. General thoughts about rural social security system reform.VI. Concrete countermeasures in its reforms. In this part, the writer, taking into account the present situation and problems of rural social security system together with China's rural reality, puts forward and discusses from all sides the concrete feasible countermeasures.