Social Service Country in China: Connotation Characteristics, Development Orientation, and Implementation Path ..........................................................Lin Mingang 3
Abstract: From a global perspective, the social service country has become a new trend. In the process of the Chinese path to modernization, promoting the construction of a social service country is conducive to the common prosperity of all people and the coordination of material civilization and spiritual civilization. This paper believes that a Chinese style social service country can demonstrate its people-oriented nature and patriotism, cover various service needs of the entire population and life cycle, and play a fundamental role in social services, which is more inclusive, developmental, and comprehensive. To this end, based on vigorously promoting basic public services, we will choose the development path of the universal basic social service, strengthen the social investment function of social services, deeply integrate social services with digitalization, and take the community as a carrier to take a low-cost and efficient path of social service development for the country.
Keywords: Social service country, Socialization of social service, Basic social service, Universal basic service
To Improve People-Centered Social Policy in China’s New Period..............................................................................................................................................Guan Xinping 11
Abstract: The high-quality development and common prosperity road in Chinese style modernization propose new requirements to China’s social policy, and the there are several significant new challenges to social policy in the new period, and thus it is necessary to improve people-centered social policy. The basic requirements for the people-centered social policy include the high emphasis on satisfying people’s increasing needs in various aspects, helping people dealing with high economic and social risks, helping increasing people’s developing capacity, balancing people’s current and long-term interests, and coordinating inter-group interests. The main tasks of the people-centered social policy development in current period include encouraging people more participating into social policy processes as subjective actors, increasing general welfare level and social expenditure rationally, improve social policy structures, enhancing social policy’s equity level, and having a more active social policy that has more coordination and cooperation with economic system.
Keywords: Social Policy, People-centered, Chinese style modernization
Dimensions, Functions and Innovative Paths of Social Policy.....................................................................................................................................Xi Heng, Wang Han 21
Abstract: In Chinese path to modernization, as an institutional arrangement for realizing the social rights and interests of all members of the society, social policy should be inclusive, sharing and developmental, and in agreement and synergy with economic policy and public policy, it should continuously realize its policy function of safeguarding and guaranteeing the social rights and interests of all members of the society. Inclusive social policy is a responsive policy with the connotation of inclusion of people, risks and changes; sharable social policy is a supportive policy with the connotation of consensus of cooperation, sharing of responsibilities and benefits; and developmental social policy is the promotional policy with the connotation of capacity enhancement, goal enhancement and policy synergy. Innovation in the content, the mechanism and the concept of social policy are the basic paths to realizing the inclusiveness, sharing and developmental nature of social policy.
Keywords: Social policy, Inclusiveness, Sharability, Development, Policy innovation
Three Foundations for Social Workers’ Involvement in Policy Practice.......................................................................................................................Ma Fengzhi, Chen Shuqiang 34
Abstract: Social work is a profession driven by both values and theory, and it also responds to societal needs. The values of equity and justice, ecological systems theory, and the practical needs of social development constitute the three fundamental bases for social workers’ involvement in policy practice. Social workers can and should use policy practice methods to implement, improve, and innovate social policies.
Keywords: Policy practice, Equity and justice, Ecological systems theory, Practical basis
Improve Policy Integration: Research on the Connection of the National List for Basic Elderly Care Services in China ......................Hu Hongwei, Wang Jiayi 43
Abstract: Recently, the national list for basic elderly care services was introduced to address the problem of fragmentation on Chinese elderly services, and has initially achieved the collection and combination of the original fragmented policies. However, there are still problems such as unclear inter-system relations in the elderly service policies, which is not conducive to the practice of the list and the further integration and optimization of the elderly policy. The study constructed a theoretical framework for integration of basic elderly services based on the holistic governance theory as well as service integration theory, and clarified three stages that the integration process needs to go through including “combination”, “coordination”and “complete integration”. Based on China’s recent policy practice of the list, we identified specific policies with connection problems, and proposed that the current integration stage is in the transition from “combination” to “coordination” during which government should take policy connection as the key method to promote policy integration. We further provided specific solutions for the policy connection and the transition to complete integration through a dual lens of theory and policy practice. Additionally, according to the policy integration process of basic elderly care services, further discussion was held on the general principles of policy integration in order to provide a broader reference for the integration of policies in social governance.
Keywords: Basic elderly care services, Holistic governance theory, Policy connection
Reflection and Optimization of China’s Pension Security System: From the Perspective of Social Bonds ......................................................Zhang Haomiao, Tang Yiyang 57
Abstract: Social bonds provide essential protection and recognition for the elderly, serving as a crucial perspective for assessing and examining the pension security system. The improvement of family-based pension security strengthens direct social bonds, while the development of community-based and mutual aid elderly care helps the elderly strengthen selective participation in social bonds. Optimization of pension insurance and long-term care insurance systems can reduce the impact of ruptures in organic participation bonds, and the development of elderly social assistance and welfare benefits helps consolidate civic identity bonds. Examining China’s pension security system from the perspective of social bonds reveals that despite significant achievements in the reform and development of the system, there are still issues with the lack of focus on the social integration of the elderly and the inability of related systems to effectively consolidate various social bonds for the elderly. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a value concept for the pension security system that emphasizes both “securing livelihood and social integration”, create a comprehensive and systematic pension security system, and optimize and improve related institutional mechanisms to continually strengthen the social bonds of the elderly, providing them with a robust safeguard for their later years.
Keywords: Pension security system, Social bonds, Elderly care services, Pension insurance, Aging
From Maternity Leave to Parental Leave: The Path of Innovation and Legal Continuation for Maternity Leave Systems............................................................................................................................Yang Fuwei, Tuo Huifang 67
Abstract: The maternity leave system has undergone multiple reforms, yet it remains largely theoretical and lacks a practical legal framework. According to the Seventh National Population Census, China is experiencing a low birth rate period with an increasing trend of older age pregnancies and fewer children. In response, birth policies have shifted from restricting to encouraging childbirth. However, despite these policy changes aimed at reducing the familial burden of childbirth costs, the intended supportive measures have not achieved their expected outcomes. Challenges such as a theoretical bias in policies and limited coverage persist. To effectively enhance citizens’ willingness to have children, a structured maternity leave system must be developed under the principle of equal employment rights. This involves constructing a balanced framework for maternity leave, sharing costs, and establishing legal protections. Specific measures should clarify the systematic structure, cost-sharing mechanisms, and the social support system to ensure equal rights and duties for both men and women in family and societal contexts, thereby gradually increasing the national fertility rate.
Keywords: Maternity leave system, Birth support, Systemic innovation, Structured development
Spatial Geography and Dynamic Capability: The Dual Logic of Philanthropic Ecosystem Formation in Commercial Neighborhoods: A Case Study of Two Philanthropic Institutions in Hangzhou.............................................................................................................................Xu Yueqian, Xu Wenying 81
Abstract: Grassroots philanthropy plays an increasingly important role in the development of quality philanthropy, but existing studies emphasize administrative divisions as the basic unit of analysis to examine its development, ignoring the underlying spatial spillover effect and collaboration across districts. Therefore, building a grassroots philanthropic ecosystem framework that emphasizes multi-agent collaboration and goes beyond administrative districts as the basic unit of analysis has become important for the development of grassroots philanthropy. We proposed the concept of “commercial neighborhoods philanthropic ecosystem” and constructed an analytical framework with two dimensions: spatial geography and dynamic capacity. By studying two philanthropic institutions located in commercial neighborhoods in Hangzhou, we found that spatial geography and dynamic capacity jointly enhanced explicit and implicit institution performance and promoted philanthropic development in commercial districts. Specifically, a favorable policy environment and a good location are only the cornerstones of philanthropic development in commercial districts, while high-quality cooperative networks and organizational learning are the key mechanisms that enhance the resilience of philanthropic institutions, help them optimize resource allocation, and thereby improve the overall dynamic capacity and performance.
Keywords: Commercial neighborhood philanthropic ecosystem, Spatial geography, Dynamic capacity, Collaborative networks, Organizational learning
A Study on the Implementation Deviation of Family Guardianship Policies for Children Under Matland’s Ambiguity-Conflict Model of Policy Implementation ...............................................................................................Xu Limin, Liuhaobo 93
Abstract: Policy implementation is a key factor in the success or failure of projects. Western theories of policy implementation generally include three models: top-down, bottom-up, and integrated approaches. Matland’s “ambiguity-conflict theory”, as a typical example of the integrated model, is characterized by its successful departure from the theoretical limitations of simple variables or influencing factors in the previous two models. It provides a systematic explanatory basis for different types of policy enforcing. The theory’s focus on ambiguity and conflict offers an appropriate explanatory framework for the deviations observed in the enforcing of China’s child family guardianship policy. Based on this framework, the deviations in the effecting of this policy manifest as deviations in goals, agents, resource mobilization, and tools. These deviations are related to the ambiguity and conflict inherent in the policy’s enforcing. Currently, the singular enforcing model of China’s child guardianship policy results in ambiguous goals; the macro and meso perspectives of government enforcing clash with the micro specifics of family environments, inevitably leading to conflict; and the phenomenon of “disembedding” among various policy agents exacerbates the ambiguity and conflict in policy implementation. Thus, the implementation of child family guardianship policies should build an integrated process where the integration of “top” and “bottom”strategies is crucial to ensuring effective policy enforcing.
Keywords: Family guardianship policy, Implementation deviation, Ambiguity-conflict theory
Research on Path Choices for the Pivotal Social Organizations’ Participation in Grassroots Governance ......................................................................Zhang Ran, Shi Min 107
Abstract: At the community level, pivotal social organization (PSO) plays a role of the hub and the bridge between Party government and general social organizations, and provides a source of power and innovation carrier for enhancing the effectiveness of grassroots governance. With the cases of community social organization service centers participating in grassroots governance of 25 towns in Shanghai, the paper used fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method to analyze the influencing mechanisms for the conditions’ combination of economic development level, government support, mutual interaction among social organizations, social resource links, organizational hardware software conditions, as well as its related multiple path choices. The study conclusions showed:1) organizational hardware base is the necessary condition for PSO’s high-quality participation in grassroots governance; 2) Resource-empowered path, social-crowding path, composite-propulsion type and inside outside -coordination type are the four different realization paths for PSO’s high-quality participation in grassroots governance. The research conclusions not only enrich the theoretical research of social organization, but also provide valuable enlightenments for the region to choose a matching implementation path of PSOs’ high-quality grassroots governance according to local conditions.
Keywords: Pivotal social organization, Social organization service center, Grass-roots governance, Configuration Analysis
The Same Job and Different Understandings: Individual Differences in the Construction of Work Significance for Hospital Care Workers...............................................................................................................................................Shen Jinhao 119
Abstract: Against the backdrop of changes in the disease spectrum and market-oriented care, hospital care workers are gradually replacing their families as the main force in caring for inpatients. However, under the influence of traditional cultural concepts, care workers often suffer from occupational biases from society. Through in-depth interviews with 48 care workers from 6 hospitals in Shanghai, it was found that care workers invocate different types of conceptual schemas such as survival, adaptation, and development to construct the significance of care work, in order to resist occupational biases and maintain their own subjectivity. The invocation of conceptual schemas is influenced by both microcosmic interaction and social network, resulting in individual differences in the construction of work significance. Faced with the shortage of care talents, it is necessary to start from a socio-cultural perspective, endow care work with positive significance, and eliminate the occupational stigma of care workers.
Keywords: Inpatient care, Hospital care workers, Work significance