Social Policy & HK History Flashcards
Working Family Allowance (WFA)
- The number of beneficiaries under LIFA is too small
- The eligibility criteria and the application procedures are too stringent
→ The enhanced version of LIFA:benefit more working household
Public Transport fare Subsidy Scheme
(2019)
1. Relieve the fare burden of daily commuters
2. Whose public transport expenses are relatively high
Applicationnot required → Available for everyone
Robustness
the ability of a financial trading system to remain effective under different markets and conditions,
or the ability of an economic model to remain valid under different conditions.
Economic Situations
1997: Asian Financial Crisis
2003: SARS
2008: Global Financial Crisis
2014-2018 Robust Economy
2020: COVID-2019 Pandemic
Asian Financial Crisis
(1997):Relying on overheated financial and real estate development industries, Hong Kong’s bubble economy burst in 1997.
Unemployment rate: 2.2% (approximately 71000 unemployed people).
Increased CSSA case: to 30,290 cases in 1998.
Unemployed and low-income CSSA recipients without a full-time job were required to attend fortnightly interviews with staff of SWD, which provide them information on job vacancies and monitor efforts in job seeking
Unemployed and able-bodied CSSA recipients were required to perform unpaid community work for at least one day per week
SARS
(2003)
Unemployment rate: 8.7%
established the Poverty Alleviation Committee in 2005.
Decreased Standard amount of CSSA to restoring social security benefits to the original purchasing power to deal with four-year sustained deflation
Impact on social policy:
- decrease the number of CSSA recipients
- More community work internships were arranged immediately after entering the CSSA system
→ CSSA recipients acquired full-time jobs or withdrew from the CSSA increased by 50%.
the exemption income calculation mechanism for CSSA was improved in 2003 → able-bodied CSSA recipients to retain a certain percentage of their income without offsetting CSSA payments.
Robust Economy
(2014-2018)
Low unemployment rate: 3.0%
Decreased CSSA Recipients:mainly due to changes in the number of removals and arrivals
Government invested relatively less support to CSSA –> Hong Kong’s social service expenditure increased
introducing the Transport Subsidy Scheme in 2017, covering 25% of fares
COVID-2019
Increased unemployment rate: 5.81% in 2020
Increased CSSA cases: 319,200 persons in 2020
Cash payout scheme
Consumption Voucher Scheme
Increased allowances for older and disabled individuals
Additional payments to low-income households
Transportation fare discounts
Absolute poverty
Severe deprivation of basic human needs
Relative Poverty
A type of poverty that is determined by income distribution over a given population and defined according to societal norms
HK e.g. poverty line
Poverty Line
Set by Commission on Poverty in 2013
Poverty line defined as 50% of the median monthly household income of that household size group.
Gini Coefficient
- A statistical measure used to quantify the level of wealth inequality within a population
- The Gini coefficient ranges between 0-1(The higher the number, the greater the income inequality.)
Recurrent cash benefits (within poverty line)
Comprehensive Social Security Assistance
Old Age Living Allowance
Working Family Scheme
Non-cash benefits (within poverty line)
Public Housing
Policy beyond the poverty line
Health Care Voucher
$2 Scheme
Characteristics of elderly
- people aged 65 or above takes up were 20.5% of the total population in 2021
- More than 80% elderly resident are not engaged in economic activities
MPF’s relation to elderly poverty
Low income people cannot be benefit by MPF
Most of the elderly didn’t participate in MPF
The retirement period will be longer (20 years or above) since the life expectancy increase
Retirement Security
Non-contributory zero pillar
Mandatory first pillar
Mandatory second pillar
Voluntary third pillar
Voluntary fourth pillar
Non-contributory zero pillar
Publicly-funded pension or social security schemes E.g. CSSA, OALA
Mandatory first pillar
Publicly-managed mandatory contributory plans E.g. Universal Retirement Scheme
Mandatory second pillar:
Privately-managed mandatory occupational or private contributory pension plans E.g. MPF
Voluntary third pillar
Voluntary contributions or savings to occupational or private pension plans E.g. Annuity Plan
Voluntary fourth pillar
Public services, family support and personal assets E.g. Health Care Voucher
OALA Eligibility
Eligibility:
Age:Aged 65 or above
HK Resident: Have been a HK resident for at least seven years
Have resided in HK continuously for one year
Income & Asset Limit:
Single Person: $10,710 $401,000
Married Couple: $16,330 $608,000
No Double benefit: Not in receipt of OAA or DA or CSSA
Ideology behind OALA:
Neoliberalism:
Individualism: Encouraging self-reliance, Labor is a responsibility and dignity of human
Sustainable: Provides appropriate support through a sustainable social security and welfare system
Liberal Welfare State Regimes: Residual model, Means-tested assistance, Categorical benefits
Financial Well-being:
the perception of being able to sustain current and anticipated desired living standards and financial freedom
.
a multi- dimensional concept involving financial satisfaction, objective status of financial situation, financial attitudes, and behavior
Physical Well-being:
-recognizing the need for physical activity, healthy foods, and sleep
-preventing illness and injury or managing chronic health conditions.
Psychological Well-being:
→ To be able to assess their living situation and be satisfied
-Cognitive Part: an information based,conscious evaluations of one’s life satisfaction
-Affective Part: a hedonic evaluation guided by emotions and feelings
Social Well-being:
- well-integrated into their communities
- Social health-> social support+social adjustment
Negative freedom
absence of coercion by others
As long as such opportunity is available, freedom is realised
Positive Freedom:
- possessing resources and capacity to be autonomous
- To enable an individual to exercise the freedom one possesses, provision of resources and services is needed.
- Welfare state or public provision of welfare is implied
Egalitarianism
everyone should have the same rights, opportunities, and treatment, regardless of their background
emphasizes the idea that all people should be treated as equals and have equal access to resources and opportunities in society.
Liberal Feminism
Focus: sameness
Principle: women and men are born equal.
It asserted the women’s ability and right to participate in public
sphere at least through the suffrage
a
Policy orientation:, Equal opportunities, Examination of marriage institution, legal practices of divorce and property law,
Access to same quality education as men,
End of treatment of women as dependent individual on their husband or fathers legally
Socialist Feminism
Focus: Structural inequalities.
- The unpaid labour of women could facilitate the labour reproduction and minimise the costs.
- Women as reserve labour are exploited by capitalists
Dual system approach: Capitalism and patriarchy as distinct but interlocking system shaping women’s position
Women are devalued in the economic system because their work has traditionally focused on domestic work so as not to have the equal value as the work of men, which means the domestic work does not benefit to financial gain for a family.
Policy: structural changes
Radical Feminism
Distinctiveness: women and men are fundamentally different and opposing
Central Concern: women have been subjugated by men via an overarching patriarchal system.
Policy Stance: aiming for a society oriented towards ‘matriarchy’;
Criticisms: reliance on biological determinism, positioning the female body as the primary marker of difference and a vehicle of oppression.
Post-structural feminism
- Representation of women; social construction is the origins of gender inequality
- Women contribute to the societal constructs of gender inequality through aspects such as body politics and the regulation of femininity.
- Heterogeneity among women themselves
New Public Management (NPM)
a set of ideas and strategies introduced in the late 20th century to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public sector organizations and services.
New Public Management Principles
Results-oriented focus
Decentralisation of authority
Performance-based management
Customer orientation
Market-like mechanisms
Entrepreneurialism and innovation
Results-oriented focus
setting objectives for public organisations and measuring their performance based on outcomes
Decentralisation of authority
delegating decision-making authority and responsibilities to lower levels of government or public agencies → Allow more flexibility and responsiveness in service delivery.
Performance-based management
performance measurement, evaluation, and accountability. It encourages the use of performance metrics and targets to assess the effectiveness and efficiency
Customer orientation
It is important to meet the needs and expectations of citizens as customers of public services → customer-centric approach, focusing on responsiveness, quality, and satisfaction.
Market-like mechanisms
Incorporating market principles into the public sector e.g. competition, contracting out services to private providers
Entrepreneurialism and innovation
entrepreneurial and innovative approach within public sector organisations → experimentation, risk-taking, and the adoption of innovative practices to improve service delivery.
rolling back
the process of reducing or reversing certain policies, regulation, often with the goal of returning to a previous state or condition.
Rolling out
the process of gradually introducing initiative, in a phased or sequential manner.
nvolves a systematic approach to ensure a smooth and controlled deployment.
Capitalist
what are they and what do they have
possess capital; the dominant class
Proletariats
possess nothing but labour; the dominated class
The labour of the working class are usurped by the capitalist class in terms of profits
Laws of motion of capitalism
Diminishing rates of return for capital
Class struggle intensified
Revolution is inevitable
The economy, class structure and societal institutions need constant reproduction of:
capital
labour power
capitalist relations of production
Pipeline of class struggles
Class struggles upset the reproduction process and transform the economic and social structures
Revolution: Overthrow the capitalist state
Transform the capitalist relations of production/order to a socialist one –> Ultimately transform to a communist society
FPI
Foreign Portfolio Investment
- an investment made by individuals or entities from one country into financial assets, such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, in another country.
FDI
Foreign Direct Investment
- as an investment made by a company or individual from one country into a business or project located in another country.
Economic Globalization Definition
an economic process (with ) increasing cross-border integration of production and markets
entrenched and enduring interconnectedness”.
Minimum Wage Set up Year
2011
OALA
Whe? for what? Eligibility?
Old Age Living Allowance
- set up in 2013
- For poverty alleviation
-Provide a special monthly allowance ($4195)
-Hong Kong elderly people aged 65 or above who are in need of financial support
-Not to be entirely relied upon
LIFA
When?who?Why
Low-Income Working Family Allowance
- set up in 2016
- Relieve the financial burden of the working poor outside the safety net
- Promote self-reliance and prevent inter-generational poverty
- eligibility criterion ties to the poverty line
–> Now WFA
Poverty Alleviation Policy Key Elements
- A structured scheme / plan with explicit objective and development strategies
- Target for poverty reduction
- Cash transfer / in-kind transfer
- Recurrent / non-recurrent
“in-kind” transfer
a type of transaction or assistance where goods, services, or assets are provided directly, rather than through the exchange of money.
Child Development Fund Set up date
- 2008
- chaired by the Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare.
- aims to support longer-term development of children from a disadvantaged background, with a view to alleviating inter-generational poverty.
- funds projects operated by non-governmental organisations and schools
Provisional Minimum Wage Commission Set up date
- 2009
- “to forestall the payment of excessively low wages, thereby protecting the vulnerable groups from exploitation
- by legislative council
First Wave Feminism
Mid 19th and early 20th century throughout the western world
Equal opportunities for women and men, particularly on education, suffrage, legal rights.
In the mid 20th century, women found out that suffrage could not lead to changes of employment, education, or political equality.
Second Wave of Feminism:
Began in 1960s and continued into 1990s.
Liberal feminist movement and radical feminist movement.
Broader critiques of patriarchy, capitalism, normative heterosexuality, and gendered division of labour
Drew in the women of colour and developing nations, seeking sisterhood and solidarity, and class struggle.
Third Wave of feminism
After 1990s
After institutional victories of second wave feminism,
Focus on sexuality of women, racism, with emerging postmodern feminism, the feminists question,
reclaim and redefine the ideas, words, and media that have transmitted ideas about womanhood, gender, beauty, sexuality, femininity
Four Wave of feminism
Continuously focus on intersectionality
Criticises “white feminism” which ignores the unique struggles of women of colour, and exposes how the non-white feminists and ideas have been suppressed continuously.
Transgender
Cash Payout Scheme
- Set up in 2020
- e aged 18 or above and is a Hong Kong permanent resident
Poverty
Not having enough money to meet basic needs
Pronounced deprivation in well-being
2020–2021 fiscal budget measures
Cash Payout Scheme
Increased allowances for older and disabled individuals
Additional payments to low-income households
Transportation fare discounts
Social Security Allowance Scheme
Normal Disability Allowance, Higher Disability Allowance, Old Age Allowance, Old Age Living Allowance, Guangdong Scheme and Fujian Scheme
Residual Model
the government’s service is inadequate so must be assisted by other parties
Marxism Core Value
- More emphasis on the class or materialist dimensions
- Support positive freedom
- Upheld egalitarianism
- Collectives
- Working for the capitalist class but have potential as
- Support and resources for social
Aim in Capitalist Economies (3)
Reproduction of capital
Reproduction of labour power
Lowering cost of labour and production
Feminism definition
A range of social and political movements, and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes
Principle: women are human beings equal to men
Feminism key concept
- Patriarchy
- Public Sphere Vs Private Sphere
- Woman as Carer
- Gender Stereotype
Anti-feminism argument
- Narrative: men and women are inherently distinct from birth.
- division of labour as a reflection of difference rather than inequality.
- The Victimhood of Men: women potentially having more advantages.
- It suggests that discrimination exists against men as well.
Men’s issues are more severe than those faced by women.
Conjugal Financial inequality
when one partner handles unpaid domestic work, they may become financially dependent on the earning partner, which can perpetuate power imbalances.
Responsibilization
the process by which responsibility for social issues is shifted from the state and society to individuals and families.
Economic Globalization Key Elements
Global Flow of Trade, Capital, , Manpower Knowledge and Ideas and Increasing Magnitude
Economic Skepticism
- Not global but triangulation → Confining to American, European and Asia continents
- The recent trend is less global than the past → Belle Époque(1871-1914) experienced higher level of internationalisation than the recent era
- The national headquarters of the MNCs are critical
Economic Globalisation as Reality:
- Increased volume of international trade
- Inflow and outflow of FDI in developed countries:
- Increased size of daily foreign exchange transaction
- Increased flow of FPI
- New International Division of Labour (NIDL)
- Rising significance of the multinational corporations
- Increasing referencing to international investment banks and grading agencies
Economic Globalisation Social Impact
- Increasing insecurity among social groups: changing occupational structures in developed countries
- Increasing Risks due to financial crises
- Increasing Income inequality/ Polarisation:
- Increasing social segregation:
3 Basic Principles of Welfare Regimes
- Decommodification: Reflects the extent to which an individual’s welfare is reliant upon the market
- Levels of social stratification: Diagnosing the role of welfare states in maintaining or breaking down social stratification
- Private-public mix: Reveals the relative roles of the state, the family and the market in welfare provision.
3 Types of Productivist Welfare Regimes
- Facilitate Type
- Developmental- universalist type
- Path Dependency
3 discourse of welfare response
- Welfare retrenchment
- Welfare Restructuring
- Welfare Provision in Reality
