The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada jointly with the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, is sponsoring a young scholar research Network in China. It runs from summer 2010 through summer 2012 initially, and depending on results may be extended further.
The aim of the network in 2011 is to both identify and support a new generation of younger researchers working on inequality, poverty and social policy in China. Young researchers may come from universities, research institutes, or government departments with China. Around 5 each year will be supported.
Proposals should be in English and contain a short abstract as well as a longer summary (5-10 pages) of the proposed research. Existing papers can be submitted, but what will be done beyond them should be made clear. Support will be for 1 year and will lead to a research paper in English for an international audience. Work can be data oriented and/or analytical in nature. Proposals should include a brief CV/Resume. Scholars should have an institutional affiliation in Mainland China.
A 2-day Network meeting will be held in Beijing May 13-14, 2011 to which successful applicants will be invited to present their initial proposal. Those chosen and funded will then work further on their project under mentoring from senior scholars. Support up to C$6,000 is available.
The proposal should be sent in electronic form (Word document, Times New Roman, 12p, 1.5 spaced) to: Professor Li Shi (lishi@bnu.edu.cn), and Yang Sui (ys4532@163.com), Beijing Normal University by April 30, 2011 at latest. Those invited to present their proposals at the meeting in May will be contacted directly.
Inequality, Poverty and Social Policy
Economic fluctuations such as the world financial crisis can affect the rich and poor differently and have implications for the design of social programs. Scholars who participate in the IDRC/CIGI project are encouraged to conduct research on China’s income distribution, including the urban-rural and regional income gaps, and on poverty so as to better understand the consequences of such events. Also relevant is research on the distributional consequences of government programs designed to address the economic crisis. Who has benefited from the government stimulus program, and what have been the impacts on inequality and poverty? How has government stimulus spending affected economic behavior related to inequality and poverty, e.g., rural-urban migration and social stability?
Relevant research includes the evaluation of policies aimed to address distributional and social security issues, such as targeted regional and demographic poverty programs, policies towards minorities and women, and the tradeoffs between regionally concentrated
growth and inequality. In the Chinese social policy area, reform of the pension and social security system, as well as education and health care policies, are areas for further research.
Concrete research issues include but are not limited to questions such as: How should the pension system in urban China be reformed? Can and should a new pension scheme for rural-urban migrant workers be adopted, and is it possible to establish a sustainable pension system in rural areas? How should pension systems be best financed? How can the medicare system in urban China be improved, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the new rural cooperative medical insurance scheme? What is the best way to finance the medicare system in both urban and rural areas? What measures can address inequality between urban and rural areas in terms of social protection and provision of public services? What is the best way to target educational expenditures, and reform and expansion of China’s tertiary education system? What sorts of policies can protect urban and rural residents from unexpected events such as economic fluctuations or natural disasters?
Also relevant is an evaluation of the distributional impact of the substantial government expenditure on stimulus programs in response to the world economic crisis. Here an important consideration is whether there is a tradeoff between growth/stimulus and redistributive policies. The wider context is the goal of China’s harmonious society, and how social policy objectives can be met post crisis without weakening growth performance.
