Legitimacy-driven Intervention and Social Exclusion in China

This paper argues that the provision of public assistance in China was due to the need of the Chinese government to secure a stable society. The introduction of the Minimum Standard of Living Scheme (MSLS) in 1997 for city dwellers was mainly for reducing the dissatisfactions of laid-off workers. The implementation of the rural MSLS in 2007 aimed at minimising conflicts between land-losing farmers and local governments. This type of legitimacy-driven welfare intervention, however, is a key factor contributing to the social exclusion of poor Chinese people. As the main objective of the Chinese government is to secure social stability rather than to promote social justice, a minimal and stigmatised social assistance scheme was created. As a result, some social groups have been excluded from accessing public benefits because of local governments ’ discriminatory practices; and many MSLS recipients are unable to make ends meet due to an extremely low level of assistance