Social policy under socialism with Chinese characteristics: the Dibao and some debates with the neoliberal perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0259.2025.e106859Keywords:
China, Dibao, social policy, Socialism with Chinese characteristicsAbstract
Based on a literature review and exploratory qualitative and quantitative analysis, we aim to present some characteristics of Chinese social policy, particularly its largest: income transfer program, Dibao, created in 1999 under the so-called: “Socialism with Chinese characteristics. We promote a critical debate: with Jennifer Pan, Qin Gao, and D. Solinger about their interpretations of the relevance of income transfer policy and economic growth for the transformation of that country's social reality in recent decades. As a result, we indicate that Dibao is consistent with a series of other public policies, with economic growth playing a central role in overcoming absolute poverty in China. We conclude that the interpretations discussed here have clear neoliberal and sinophobic bias and are insufficient for understanding that country's social policy.
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