Aging, Wellbeing, and Social Security in Rural Northern China
245.ris
—
Octet Stream,
1 kB (1,722 bytes)
STEEP DECLINES IN fertility, combined with longer life expectancy, will in- crease the share of the elderly in the Chinese population. This aging population, with its corresponding increase in the ratio of elderly pension beneficiaries to young contributors, recently has received considerable attention. (For comprehensive discussions of these and related issues, see World Bank 1994 and 1997.) Most of the attention focuses on the present and future pension liabilities of state enterprises and the need for a more modern, financially viable public pension system for workers. Striking by its absence from the discussion, however, is the recognition that the majority of elderly Chinese not covered by formal pensions live in rural areas. l The inattention is rationalized on two grounds. First, family values remain strong in rural areas, and Confucian "filial piety" sustains the traditional institution of family care for the elderly. Although it may erode over time, there is already a well-functioning, deeply rooted informal old-age security system in rural areas. Second, any formal public policy response to the needs of the rural elderly may undermine the existing private arrangements. For example, state transfers to the elderly may crowd out existing transfers from younger family members. As the argument goes, it is better to leave well enough alone and focus on the urban elderly and their public pensions.
JOUR
Benjamin, Dwayne
Brandt, Loren
Rozelle, Scott
2000
Population and Development Review
26
89-116
245