A Study Of Urban-suburban Social Relief System, Chaoyang District, Beijing

By 2008 , Chaoyang District will be the first to achieve urbanization, in the process of urbanization, impoverishment that comes naturally after unemployment, land deprivation, diseases and the like will loom as a sever social problem that society can not skirt any longer. Facing with this challenge, the government, the prime sponsor for social relief, is supposed to find a way out of it. This study takes the social relief system of Chaoyang District as a sample, and, from the perspective of public policy analysis, dwells on the prospect of setting up a long-term and urban-suburban integrated social relief system for the needed at the backdrop of Chaoyang District's urbanization.This study starts with an assessment of the features and of impoverished communities and the various possible causes of their plight. It then goes on to a review of the history of Chaoyang District's social relief system as well as its status quo. With some description of the new climate for Chaoyang District's social relief system as well as Chaoyang District's macro economic development, this study focuses on the section of strategical pitfalls and inadequacies in Chaoyang District's social relief system. After policy analysis, this study makes a horizontal comparison in terms of actual implementation of social relief targeted to the impoverished families between Chaoyang District and certain other domestic regions. This study suggests some more constructive measures that will bring the established local social relief system on to a new stage and will better meet Chaoyang District's specific need. The new relief system will be further embedded within the legal framework, better substantiated by necessary policies; it will be administered with advanced and sophisticated measures, and more effective; it will have distinct features that are local to this capital city.Now it is increasingly urgent for Chaoyang District to put in place a well structured social relief system in a short-term future given the fast pace of Chaoyang District's rural urbanization. According to the scenario for Chaoyang District's social relief system outlined in this paper, this future system should be one that can be transplanted in Beijing's other districts and counties. Therefore, it should be a three-story complex with the Minimum Social Security System at the bottom, on top of which are special aids of caring of the seniors, medical care, education, housing and law; at the third floor are the complementary measures such as temporary aid and community mutual aid. Under this new relief system, the local government on all levels should have clearly defined responsibilities and should be accountable.