Qin Gao, Professor of Social Policy and Social Work and Director, China Centre for Social Policy, at Columbia University, discussed her recently published book Welfare, Work, and Poverty: Social Assistance in China (Oxford University Press, 2017) on the Council on Foreign Relations’ December 8, 2017 podcast “Eradicating Poverty in China—An Impossible Task?”
Professor Gao’s book 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. Her book offers important new empirical evidence and draws policy lessons that are timely and useful for both China and beyond.
Listen to the CFR podcast by clicking here.
