Social Assistance Studies

Author: Wang Weiping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Social assistance is a crucial issue in social security, and establishing a social assistance system for both urban and rural areas has become a key component and significant indicator of China's social development. By 2004, 14 provinces including Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi had established a comprehensive social assistance system that was adapted to the level of economic and social development. This system was based on the minimum living standard guarantee, disaster relief, and the five guarantees for the elderly, supplemented by targeted assistance in healthcare, education, housing, and justice, complemented by preferential policies, and reinforced by social mutual aid. In 2005, the focus was on establishing a social assistance system for both urban and rural areas, completing the establishment, improvement, coordination, and integration of assistance systems at both central and local levels. By then, 90% of provinces and 70% of counties (cities) had preliminarily established such systems, while also establishing social donation acceptance stations covering counties (cities), streets, and communities nationwide.
Social Assistance Studies is divided into two main parts in terms of its content structure. The first part is theoretical research related to social assistance, including relevant theories (such as poverty theory, social stratification theory, and social welfare theory), basic methods of social assistance, policy design, and institutional analysis. The second part covers the operational mechanisms of social assistance, including its fundamental content.
As a textbook for university and graduate students, Social Assistance Studies highlights two key features:
1. Systematic or systematic: It systematically introduces students to the foundational knowledge of social assistance studies, which is a fundamental requirement for a textbook.
2. Research-oriented: Social Assistance Studies is a research-oriented textbook. This is evident not only in its comprehensive introduction to the research achievements of domestic and foreign scholars on social assistance-related issues but also in the insights shared by social security professionals.