Neoliberalism, Authoritarian Politics and Social Policy in China

Jane Duckett

doi:10.1111/dech.12568

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article explores the relationships among neoliberalism, social policy expansion and authoritarian politics in contemporary China. It argues that in the era of neoliberalism, rising new right and authoritarian governments, the Chinese Communist Party has sought to retain power by shifting politically to the right and promoting neoliberal‐looking economic policies. These policies have raised average living standards but also increased insecurity for most of the Chinese population, while new social policies have facilitated marketization. Social policy expansion includes minimal cash transfers as well as social old‐age and health insurance for hitherto excluded sections of the population. These policies have begun to erode long‐standing urban–rural segregation, but they have added new, underfunded, social programmes rather than widening participation in existing ones, re‐segregating provision so that urban elites and formal sector workers enjoy much more generous provisions than many people working informally and those without work. These social policies’ most significant dark sides thus include compounded income inequalities and the segmentation and stigmatization of the poorest. Authoritarian controls have enabled the Communist Party to avoid redistributive policies that would undermine its urban support, so that politics in China differ from the right‐wing populism of new, anti‐establishment authoritarian regimes.

Highlights

Other contributions to this Debate section explore relationships among neoliberalism, social policies, new right and authoritarian politics. They take as their starting point arguments that expansions of social provisioning in the period since the global spread of neoliberalism in the 1980s may sometimes
In the early 21st century, after China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the economy — and state revenues — continued to grow, the Chinese Party-state initiated a series of social policy reforms aimed at delivering some basic social provisions for rural dwellers and urbanites without work and increased government social spending
It must manage the challenges of dismantling state planning during the demographic transition to an ageing population and the health transition to a society with a greater burden of chronic rather than contagious diseases (Gao et al, 2019). It faces the problem of ensuring policies are implemented and preventing funds being siphoned away from public spending by corrupt officials across its vast territory and five levels of government administration. These problems and the dark sides of social policy in China undermine the case for China as a straightforward model for other developing countries

Summary

Introduction

Other contributions to this Debate section explore relationships among neoliberalism, social policies, new right and authoritarian politics. This article explores these issues in the People’s Republic of China where, under continued authoritarian one-party politics, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has since the late 1980s orchestrated neoliberal-looking, market-oriented economic reforms and expanded social policy provisions.

Results

Conclusion