China's New Social Security System in the Making: Problems and Prospects

China's welfare regime has been historically characterized by its structural arrangement, distinguishing itself from that of many other countries. The major difference lies in the efforts made by the Chinese government to build up a social safety-net to be compatible not merely with societal needs but more critically with its unique political structure to ensure its legitimacy and stability are unchallenged. We argue that while ensuring political stability continues to remain as a policy priority, China's current welfare restructuring is being confronted by freed-up market forces that make it more difficult to acheive a delicate balance between where the needs are and how resources are allocated.