AbstractThis article discusses whether Mainland China under the Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao leadership (2003–13) has developed a new welfare settlement, the emphasis of which is to shift away from a 'productivist' focus on education and healthcare investment towards a more 'protective' approach, characterized by investing into social protection and establishing a minimum living guarantee for both the urban and rural poor. In so doing, this article reviews the conceptual debate on Chinese social policy development and explores whether there is any evidence to substantiate a gradual decrease of fragmentation in social provision among the Chinese provinces. With regard to the former question, the article finds that the various social policy initiatives have yet to amount to a qualitative shift in the core foundation of the human capital‐focused welfare production logic in China. With regard to the latter question, we argue that considerable fragmentation of social provision at the Chinese provincial level continues to hamper attempts to define a coherent Chinese social model. Indeed, we find considerable diversity in terms of the co‐operative state‐local interactions within China leading to varying trajectories of social decentralization. Unlike much of the current research in comparative social policy analysis, which continues to treat Mainland China as a single case, this article provides a strong account of a productivist construction of selective welfare pragmatism, which reproduces social policy gaps for different groups of the Chinese population, and suggests that determining multiple 'welfare types' within China might be the most fruitful path for future academic inquiry.
AbstractThe question whether Asian welfare types can be classified as distinctly 'productivist' has remained subject to lively debates: in East Asia, the recent implementation of social rights‐based public policy innovations – including working family support – as a response to rising inequalities, welfare expectations and accelerating social change has been well documented; similarly, South East Asian and South Asian economies have featured much more frequently in comparative social policy analysis as policymakers have sought to address persisting chronic poverty, a diminishing demographic dividend and burdensome epidemiological transitions via integrating human capital formation with social protection measures. Yet, far from a unifying convergence of these social policy trends in the post‐Millennium Development Goals era, the global perspective we take in this article suggests continued variation and difference, with a multiplicity of forms of globalizations encountered and/or engendered in diverse contexts. As a consequence, variegated and path‐dependent patterns of social development continue to persist across Asian economies. These findings, in turn, address major issues of our time, for they speak to the broader question of what analytical bases and research strategies can best reveal the complexities of (and interactions between) national, extra‐national and transnational drivers of welfare formation and development under contemporary but diverse conditions.
Introduction : the nature of higher education massification in Asia / Jin Jiang, Ka Ho Mok, Deane Neubauer -- Higher education sustainability : proliferating meanings / Deane Neubauer -- The limits of massification in the Asia Pacific region : six conflicting hypotheses / John N. Hawkins, Ka Ho Mok, Deane Neubauer and Alfred M. Wu -- The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate : transforming education practice in multiple contexts / Jill Perry -- Higher education massification : how US higher education is expanding its global reach through branding, in-country, and online / Cathryn L. Dhanatya and Julie Slayton -- Confronting the challenges of massification surge in higher education : sustaining the academic workforce and its excellence in Australia / Rohan Nethsinghe -- Challenges to a post-mass system of higher education in Taiwan / Yung-Feng Lin -- Exploring the development of independent colleges in the context of massification in China : the case of Zhejiang University / Jia Zhang and Hui Wang -- Imagining teacher and teacher education : understanding the cultural dynamics in the development of advanced teacher education institutions in China / Chris Ching Wai Ho -- Questing for entrepreneurial university in Hong Kong and Shenzhen : the promotion of industry-university collaboration and entrepreneurship / Ka Ho Mok and Jin Jiang -- Conclusion : differentiating the possible pathways for higher education massification in the Asia Pacific / Deane Neubauer, Ka Ho Mok, Jin Jiang
Academic freedom as a concept -- Legitimacy crises in Hong Kong -- The Robert Chung affair -- National security and academic freedom: the challenge of implementing Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law -- Academics' views on academic freedom in Hong Kong -- Hong Kong academics' behavior regarding academic freedom
AbstractChina's practice of contracting out social services raises two related questions. The first one seeks to determine "the contractual relationship" between the Chinese government and its third sector in a mixed welfare regime. The second one inquires whether China's commissioning welfare strategy has increased the power of its civil society. This study attempts to address these two issues based on the experiences of non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) in a Chinese city. It was found that the contracted NGOs were unable to obtain an equal status but were treated as assistants of local governments. The NGOs were also asked to do extra work that was not listed in the service contracts. Moreover, the service performance assessment criteria were unable to accurately evaluate the work of NGOs. Thus, the welfare participation of Chinese NGOs has not brought with them more political power. It is proposed that China's welfare reform needs to be backed up by its legal reform to put in place a mechanism that tackles the unequal power distribution between welfare purchasers and welfare providers. The study further illustrates that the Chinese government has adopted a pragmatic instrumentalism strategy by placing NGOs in a supplementary and subordinate role. This paper offers a conceptual discourse on analysing the state‐NGOs relationship against China's market reform and its search for a better welfare management strategy.
Studies of the 1997 Asian financial crisis suggest that impacts of economic shocks on education are ambiguous and vary according to gender, income and location. The crisis exacerbated previous disparities, with gaps between girls and boys, and urban and rural education widening. Secondary school enrolment sustained the greatest impact. Countries' high commitment to education, as evidenced by increased household expenditures and government social protection programmes, helped protect education. Lessons from 1997 serve as a useful framework for considering potential policy responses to the 2007—08 crisis. Getting policies right is important given the current education landscape, where disparities continue to persist. The paper provides an analysis of the state of education in East Asia and the Pacific. It then analyzes experiences from the 1997 crisis and government policy responses since 1997. It argues that quick and sustained action is important. Social protection measures should be institutionalized to prepare for future crises. Les Impacts des Chocs Économiques sur l'Éducation: Une Analyse de la Crise Financière Asiatique de 1997, et les Leçons Éventuelles que l'on Peut en Tirer Aujourd'hui Des études réalisées sur la crise financière asiatique de 1997 suggèrent que les impacts des chocs économiques sur l'éducation sont ambigus, et qu'ils varient selon le sexe, les revenus et l'endroit. La crise a aggravé les disparités antérieures, et les écarts entre les filles et les garçons, ainsi que les écarts entre l'éducation urbaine et rurale, se sont élargis. L'inscription dans l'enseignement secondaire a souffert l'impact le plus grand. L'engagement des pays affectés en faveur de l'éducation a aidé à protéger l'éducation — ce qui était manifeste dans l'augmentation des dépenses de la famille et dans les programmes de protection sociale implémentés par les gouvernements. Les leçons de 1997 servent de cadre utile pour considérer des réponses éventuelles de politique à la crise de 2007/2008. Il est bien important que les politiques soient justes, étant donné le paysage éducatif actuel dans lequel les disparités continuent. Cet article fournit une analyse de la situation éducative dans l'Asie de l'Est et le Pacifique. Ensuite on examine les expériences tirées de la crise de 1997, et les réponses de politique au niveau gouvernemental depuis 1997. L'article soutient qu'il faut prendre des mesures rapides et soutenues. Les mesures de protection sociale doivent être institutionnalisées afin de préparer pour des crises futures. Los Impactos de los Choques Económicos en la Educación: Un Análisis de la Crisis Financiera Asiática de 1997 y las Posibles Lecciones para Hoy Los estudios realizados sobre la crisis financiera asiática de 1997 sugieren que los impactos de los choques económicos en la educación son ambiguos y que varían según el sexo, los ingresos y el lugar. La crisis agravó las diferencias que ya existían, y las distancias entre las chicas y los chicos, y entre la educación urbana y rural, se ensancharon. La inscripción en los colegios secundarios sufrió el impacto más fuerte. El compromiso de los países con la educación, como se evidencia por el aumento de los gastos domésticos y por los programas de protección social de los gobiernos, ayudó a proteger la educación. Las lecciones aprendidas de la crisis de 1997 sirven de marco útil para considerar las posibles respuestas de política a la crisis de 2007/2008. Es muy importante que las políticas sean exactas, dado el paisaje educativo actual en lo cual las diferencias continúan a persistir. Este documento proporciona un análisis de la situación educativa en el Asia del Este y el Pacífico. Luego analiza las experiencias adquiridas de la crisis de 1997, y las respuestas de política formadas por los gobiernos desde 1997. Propone que es muy importante tomar medidas rápidas y sostenibles. Las medidas de protección social deben ser institucionalizadas a fin de preparar para las crisis venideras.
AbstractSouth–North and North–North migration patterns have received significant interest in the literature, and recently, studies have begun to investigate South–South migration. However, as yet, very few studies have addressed North–South migration or investigated the psychological facilitators and barriers that drive this growing migration pattern. With a sample from a representative group of Hong Kong adults, we evaluated the role of positive attitude in shaping the intention to migrate from Hong Kong, a more‐developed economy (a metropolitan area), to the Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities in Mainland China, considered a less‐developed economy (with less metropolitan areas). We found positive attitude toward GBA cities in Mainland China promoted migration intention both directly and indirectly, as mediated by situational concerns and experience of visiting Mainland GBA cities. The impact of a positive attitude on a field visit was found to be weaker among wealthier adults relative to their economically disadvantaged counterparts. The effect of a field visit on migration intention was found to be stronger among wealthier adults relative to their economically disadvantaged counterparts. The findings suggest that an understanding of social psychology has implications for policy makers through highlighting the different approaches and entry points that could be adopted to encourage migration by people of varying economic status.
