新貧問題與社會福利政策－科學vs．價值＆菁英vs．普羅

Abstract

Problems in connection with the scarcity of resources have long existed in the history of human development. But, the emergency of poverty is regarded a side-product of Modern Capitalism. As the establishment of welfare states in Continental Europe, poverty seems to be a problem distinctively remaining in Anglo-Saxon countries, especially in the United States. Nevertheless, the concept and measurement of poverty as well as the explanations and solutions to it are profoundly influenced by ideologies and theoretical paradigms, which result in different interpretations. Hence, it is important to focus not only on the transformation of socio-economic environments but also on the traditions of ideologies and values, while exploring poverty problems. Since the end of the 1970s, the development of financial globalization and knowledge-based economy has significantly reshaped the industrial structure and the labor market. As a consequence of that, several social problems have come out, such as employment insecurity, long-term unemployment, the disorganization of the family system, and the collapse of social solidarity. The problems of new poverty have become the social plague in the 21st century, and spread across Anglo-Saxon nations, Latin American countries and even European welfare states. As the continuing development of economic globalization and the integration of European Economies in the 1990s, problems concerning social exclusion have been aware and need to be tackled. Nevertheless, the interpretation of the causes and features of social exclusion remains controversial due to the variation of ideologies and values applied to explain it. Following the lifting of the Martial Law in the 1980s and the replacement of the ruling party in 2000, Taiwan has transformed into a democratic country. With its participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2002, Taiwan has also been involved in the development of economic globalization and knowledge-based economy, like its counterparts in Europe and America. Therefore, the situations of employment insecurity and long-term unemployment might not just be temporary phenomena of economic cycle but constant features of new poverty. However, under the dominant ideology of New Right, the government and the opposition parties still consider these problems in terms of traditional economic theories. In order to effectively deal with the problems of new poverty, it is suggested to begin with a shift of methodological viewpoints and then development of practical policies.