In March 2017, Oxford University Press published a new book by WEAI professor Qin Gao titled Welfare, Work and Poverty: Social Assistance in China (Oxford University Press, 2017).
Welfare, Work, and Poverty provides the first systematic and comprehensive evaluation of the impacts and effectiveness of China’s primary social assistance program — Minimum Livelihood Guarantee, or Dibao — since its inception in 1993. Dibao serves the dual function of providing a basic safety net for the poor and maintaining social and political stability. Despite currently being the world’s largest welfare program in terms of population coverage, evidence on Dibao’s performance has been lacking. Professor Gao’s book offers important new empirical evidence and draws policy lessons that are timely and useful for both China and beyond.
Qin Gao is Professor of Social Policy and Social Work at the Columbia University School of Social Work and a Faculty Affiliate of the Columbia Population Research Center and Weatherhead East Asian Institute. She is also an Academic Board Member of the China Institute for Income Distribution and Beijing Normal University, and a Public Intellectual Fellow of the National Committee on United States-China Relations.
Please click here to learn more about the book.
