From Social Insurance to Social Assistance
In attempting to establish a social security system that would function to smooth the transition from a planned to market economy, the government of China has, for most of the time in the past decades, focused its efforts on setting up social insurance programs in the urban areas. Along with the emergence of urban poverty since the mid 1990s, the emphasis of the government has shifted to means-tested social assistance programs as the major means to combat poverty and maintain social stability. However, with the absence of more equitable social and economic policies that can protect people against the many risks associated with a market economy, the role of social assistance is very limited.
Socialist Welfare in a Market Economy: Social Security Reforms in Guangzhou, China. By Nelson Chow and Yuebin Xu. [Aldershot: Ashgate, 2001. 145 pp. £37.50. ISBN 0-7546-1699-1.]
This slim volume, sliced into two equal parts, delivers a valuable service to those interested in China's incipient social security system. The first half offers a faithful and detailed recounting of the progressive, if regularly amended, movement of welfare provision (as marketization and lay-offs both proceed apace) away from one based upon disbursal by the firm to one grounded upon societal pooling (a goal far from having yet been met). It begins in 1985, and takes the story up to 1998.
Simulating the Illuminance and Efficiency of the LEDs Used in General Household Lighting
Abstract The advantage of the LEDs illumination in general household lighting was proposed. High efficiency white LED as the light source was provided the energy saving illumination of the general household lightings. Different spaces in general household with different standards of average illuminance were designed and simulated by LightTools and DIALux software. The power consumptions and efficiency of traditional illuminated light sources and LED light source in lighting the household environment were analyzed and compared with each other at the same standard of average illuminance. Finally, it provided the advantage of using white LEDs in different spaces of the general household lighting.