A Study On Imbalance Between Supply And Demand Of Community-Based Care Service For The Elderly Based On Urban-Rural Differences

China is faced with the challenges brought by the rapid ageing process.Community-based care service for the elderly is the most popular way supporting the aged,apart from family supports,and it is considered to be the most important means to solve the serious problem about rapid ageing process by providing much more related care service.In the context of the significant urban and rural differences,the significance of researching imbalance between supply and demand of community-based care service for the elderly in China is twofold.First,this research helps to rethink the motivation of government supply community-based care service for the elderly.Second,this research makes government supply community-based care service for the elderly more efficiently.Based on Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey(CLHLS)2011-2012 data,this essay analyses urban-rural differences in the supply of community-based care service for the elderly and the subjective and objective demands.It found that there is a problem of rural-urban inversion in supply and demand structures of community-based care service,and the subjective demands of urban old people for community-based care service are mainly supply-induced,while rural old people's subjective demands for community-based care service are not only induced by supply but also objective needs.This essay concluded that the main cause of rural-urban inversion in supply and demand structures of community-based care service for the elderly could be explained by policy-driven improper,as well as the contradiction of"Strong demand" and "weak expression" on public goods and service of rural residents,and low efficiency of rural public goods and service supply.Above research results lead to the following policy recommendations.First,the supply of community-based care service for the elderly should base on old people's demands.Second,the Chinese government should give chance to rural old people express their demands in order to know to what extent is community-based care service for the elderly needed.Thus,based on the results,Chinese government could supply community-based care service for the elderly properly and efficiently.Third,care service resources are scattered in rural area and there is a rural-urban distinction,hence establishing a 'rural version' of community-based care service for the elderly could change this situation and make good use of informal care resources.Fourth,Chinese central government should motivate local governments to pay attention to providing community-based care service for the elderly in rural area.