1. Compensating for Instability? Economic Openness, Threat of Social Unrest, and Welfare Provision in China.
- Author
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Hwang, In Hyee
- Subjects
SOCIAL unrest ,SOCIAL security ,SOCIAL policy ,INTERNATIONAL markets ,INSURANCE ,PROVINCIAL governments - Abstract
How does increased integration to the global economy affect patterns of social provision at the local level? This study investigates the impact of economic openness on the subnational variation of welfare provision in China. Examining welfare expansion as a political response to provincial economic integration, I analyze how the effect of globalization on welfare expansion is conditioned by the threat of social unrest. Using a panel dataset on 31 provinces in China from 2001 to 2015, I find that provinces with open economies and higher threat of social unrest provide broader social insurance coverage. On the other hand, provinces with similar levels of economic openness but with lower levels of social unrest are associated with lower levels of coverage. These findings suggest that provincial governments may be more likely to utilize social policy instruments to compensate for the social costs of globalization, particularly in cases where exposure to the international market leads to increased social instability and discontent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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