Decentralization andhukoureforms in China

Abstract

China is undergoing a process of decentralization that has been highly valued for its economic growth. However, this paper aims to explore how this process has affected the equality of social provision for rural–urban migrants in China by taking hukou system reform as a case study. It is argued here that the traditional assumption that decentralization promotes social welfare by bringing the government closer to the people is not necessarily true, or at least not uniformly so in certain institutional settings. Decentralization policies in contemporary China indeed make local governments more powerful and responsible for social welfare provision to their local citizens, but have also undermined the incentives for local governments to cover the welfare costs for migrant workers. To this extent, decentralization has played a negative role in integrating the large number of migrant workers into local cities and promoting equity within social welfare delivery at a national level in China.

Use of Traditional and Complementary Medicine as Self-Care Strategies in Community Health Centers

“…For instance, in the United States, the uninsured or disadvantaged populations are more likely to use supplements, possibly due to their decreased accessibility to conventional healthcare services. 38 Observations from the US concur with our observation, in which patients without a Hukou —those who are entitled to less welfare and healthcare security 39 —are more likely to consume vitamins and minerals. This finding adds to the international literature on the association between supplement use and barriers to accessing conventional healthcare services.…”

Hukou system, mechanisms, and health stratification across the life course in rural and urban China

“…However, reforms on hukou mobility have taken much smaller and slower steps. Since 1990s, hukou reform was decentralized to local governments, who have the autonomy to secure resources and experiment on hukou reforms (L. Wu, 2013). This has strengthened capacity of some major wealthy cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, which are largest migrant receiving cities, in providing resources, social welfare and public services to their local urban hukouholders.…”

Psychological adjustment and behaviours in children of migrant workers in China

“…This system prevents rural hukou holders from taking up permanent residence in cities, making them temporary residents, irrespective of their length of stay. Although this system is being gradually relaxed, a number of restrictions persist, especially in the bigger cities (Wu, ). Importantly, migrants and their children are allowed only limited access to education, health, and other public services in destination cities (Peng, ).…”