From “Dead” Savings to Assets for Life Perspectives on the Retirement Social Insurance Pilot Project in Hutubi,China

This article presents documentation and analysis of an asset-building pilot project in rural western China. Six case studies were conducted with the aim to study how the program affects individual and household development. From these experiences, asset ownership is seen to lead to positive effects, including steps to acquire additional assets, improved financial skills, and a more positive and stable outlook.     

Social innovations on land use in rural China: an asset-based analysis

Land is one of the most important assets in many countries, but property rights in rural China create unique circumstances worthy of consideration. Because the state and collectivities hold property rights and grant right of use, those who live and farm on land cannot freely use, transfer, pledge for loan, or bequeath that land. However, several recent social innovations experiment with ways to broaden flexibility on land use. Using the theoretical framework of asset building, this article discusses the current land policy, re-examines the asset attributes of land and discusses both the advantages and disadvantages of these innovations in rural China. The analysis leads us to make further suggestions concerning asset-based land policy.     

引入“发展”维度 完善农村社会救助——基于资产建设的视角

当前农村减贫效果有限,原因之一在于农村社会救助以收入维持为主要目标,缺乏"发展"维度。救助对象局限在绝对贫困人口,未能满足边缘贫困人群和有劳动力贫困人口的"发展"需求。资产社会政策主张减贫策略并非简单地直接增加穷人的收入,而是要帮助穷人进行资产积累与投资。通过资产建设,可为穷人提供可持续生计,提升其人力资本和社会资本,降低其脆弱性,增强抵御风险和发展的能力。因此,帮助穷人建立、积累个人资产和社区资产,可促进个人、家庭和社区发展,推动农村社会救助的完善。     

国有资产流失的原因及对策

由于管理混乱、固定资产大量闲置、国有资金缺乏约束机制、折旧提取不足等原因 ,造成大量国有资产流失 ,建议 :普遍建立国有资产管理机构 ,加大国有资产流失案件的查处力度 ,政府各部门协调运作 ,积极配合 ,依法对企业实施管理监督 ,建立健全国有资产各项基础监督工作 ,完善经营承包责任制 ,加强对行政事业单位资产的管理 ,从而进一步解决国有资产流失问题。     

Assessing the Effects of an Asset-Building Program in Resource-Constrained Households: The Case of Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT

Using a survey that was administered individually to respondents at set locations, this study examines the effects of participation in an asset-building program in resource-constrained households in rural Ghana (n = 120 in the experimental group and n = 120 in the comparison group). Results suggest the program is effective in reaching the most economically vulnerable households. We also learned that program participation was related to ownership of social assets, as well as psychosocial and financial well-being. Program characteristics, including trust among members and time spent on program-related activities, were related to enhanced social and financial assets, respectively. A number of implications emerge from this study. Given that the program, although effective in reaching the most economically vulnerable households, did not produce significant outcomes in such households, attention may be devoted to understanding ways to enhance the welfare of vulnerable program participants. A targeted approach may be a viable option. With respect to policy, consideration could be given to incorporating microfinance models in poverty alleviation strategies. Continued research using more rigorous design is needed to explore the relationship between microfinance and the welfare of vulnerable participants.     

Building assets from birth: Singapore’s policies

ABSTRACT

Singapore has created innovative, inclusive and comprehensive asset-building policies designed to promote social stability and development. Asset building from early childhood is an important part of this overall strategy. In 1993, Singapore’s government initiated a universal child asset-building policy, Edusave, which provides resources for improving educational outcomes. Since then, three additional asset-building policies for children have been implemented: the Baby Bonus and Child Development Accounts (CDAs), Post-Secondary Education Accounts (PSEAs) and Medisave, a health savings account. We discuss each of these asset-building accounts for children in Singapore. We point out distinctive features and assess key elements in overall policy design.     

The Model Development Dissertation

ABSTRACT

Asset-building programs, such as Individual Development Account (IDA) programs within social service agencies, assist low-income employed clients in building credit, purchasing affordable assets, and gaining wealth. This longitudinal exploratory study examines the credit outcomes of IDA programs to add to the knowledge concerning the effects of IDAs as an asset-building tool. Data were analyzed using a convenience sample of IDA participants and nonparticipants (N = 164), and the results indicated that initial credit score and history are associated with program participation. However, results also suggested that initial credit score is not a meaningful indicator of program completion, time to completion, or type of asset purchased for participants. Those who completed the IDA program within 2 years experienced the highest credit gains. Future research with larger samples is needed to further assess the impact of credit on program participation and completion and on whether credit gains are sustained.     

The Hutubi Model: what have we learned?

Created to address some of the limitations in China's rural retirement insurance policy, the Hutubi Model represents an innovative approach to asset building. A key feature of the model, the Hutubi loan programme, operated in Hutubi County, Xinjiang, China, from 1998 to 2010. It allowed farmers in Hutubi to borrow against their rural retirement accounts, taking loans for investment in farming and other priorities. This study examines the institutional incentives and structures that enabled the programme to help farmers build assets. We also discuss the programme's implications for the development of asset-based social policy in rural China and consider recent policy developments there. Among these is a new rural retirement social insurance programme.     

Individual accounts in social security: can they be progressive?

The trend toward individual asset accounts in social security, and the regressivity of these accounts, provide the motivation for this article. The article asks: why not asset building for the poor as well? Research on Individual Development Accounts in the United States finds that the poor can save when they have a structure and incentive to do so. Steps toward universal and progressive asset‐based policy are pointed out in Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom. Future policy directions and challenges are considered.     

Housing policy and asset building: exploring the role of home ownership in East Asian social policy

Western societies promote home ownership in the belief that it provides a means to build up individual welfare and security, potentially offsetting the inadequacy of social security to meet needs in retirement. Some East Asian economies have long focused on advancing ‘asset building’ through housing policy. These efforts have two purposes: to use housing investment to drive economic development and to build family assets throughout life as a component of income protection for old age. These purposes work well in some countries but not as well in others. In policy terms, the common element among them is that governments promote home ownership as a component of social policy or as a complement to mainstream welfare. This article examines how home ownership fares as a form of asset-based welfare in selected East Asian countries (Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan) and considers the implications for understanding the role of institutions in development.     

基于文化底蕴的企业强势品牌建设

品牌文化是一种无形资产。品牌产品作为有形资产,它需要品牌文化这一无形资产的引导与升华。鉴于我国许多品牌产品尚未形成品牌文化优势的实际,必须加大力度,用先进的企业文化理念创造强势品牌。同时,创新企业文化,打造优势产业,并充分发挥品牌文化辐射企业文化的作用,将无形的文化价值转化为名品、名牌这些有形的产品价值之中。     

Asset opportunity for the poor: an asset-based policy agenda towards inclusive growth in China

The concept of inclusive growth recently embraced by the Chinese government marks a new way of thinking about social policy and development. The primary goal of inclusive growth is to ensure that all people, especially the poorest, have an equal opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, the country's economic growth. In accordance with the new orientation of development strategies, there has been a paradigm shift in social policy from conventional income maintenance to promotion of the poor's asset accumulation and long-term development. Given China's striking social and economic inequalities, this article argues that an asset-based social policy is a key strategy in the strengthening of inclusive growth. The article highlights several areas of the welfare system where asset-based policies could be developed or expanded.     

“社会底蕴”：田野经验与思考

如何认识中国乡村社会获得秩序的内在运行机制？根据长期在中国农村的田野调查经验,笔者提出“社会底蕴”概念。这一概念是指在历史变迁中,中国社会自发保存的那些具备相对稳定特征的“恒常”。根据从生活的智慧、家本位文化、道德伦理、人缘口碑等方面对 “社会底蕴”及其与现代性变迁之间的互动机制的初步探讨发现,在社会变迁的历史进程中,深具传统特性的社会底蕴并非以一种消极对抗的形式出现,而是不断与新的历史条件相结合,并由此生发出建设性和包容性的面貌。而对这一“底蕴”的认识,与我们今天对社会科学方法论的理解与反思不无相关。     

Bottom Up and Top Down? Community Development in Post‐Soviet Armenia: The Social Fund Model

The main objective of this article is to discuss the effectiveness of bottom‐up, community‐driven approaches in promoting community participation and building local capacity within the post‐Soviet social, institutional and political context of Armenia. In exploring this issue, the article examines the nature of local participation and social relations in rural communities in Armenia and the impact of the World Bank‐supported Armenia Social Investment Fund (ASIF) project on the existing forms of local social organization. One of the objectives of the ASIF project was to promote the participation of local communities in their own economic and social development. The research finds that the project did not change the existing patterns of local social organization and had no significant impact on the nature of participation in the beneficiary communities. Bottom‐up, capacity‐building interventions that mainly focus on changing patterns of interpersonal social relations may not be effective in fostering sustainable civic institutions without changes in the nature of a country's governance.     

Enhancing Social Support for Migrant Families: A Case Study of Community Services in a Shanghai Urban Village and Implications for Intervention

Recent years have witnessed the growing emphasis of the Chinese central government to develop community services as a method of building communities and strengthening social solidarity. With the increased involvement of multi‐generation households in China's internal rural‐to‐urban migration, however, little is known about what community services are available for migrant families. Nor do we know much about how such services can enhance social support for migrants, which is crucial for their psychological well‐being in managing the ongoing challenges that arise from migration and further integration into cities. This article presents a case study conducted in Shanghai where social services are emerging in a few urban villages. We begin with a brief background on China's rural‐to‐urban migration and the emergence of urban villages, followed by a discussion of community services and social support for Chinese migrant families. We then document existing services in an urban village to explore how they can influence migrant families' social support. Drawing on the perspective of service providers, we highlight the effects social work interventions can have on improving social support for migrant families. Finally, we propose an intervention framework based on multi‐dimensions of social support, emphasizing an integration of formal and informal social support through community services for migrant populations.     

The potential of asset‐based development strategies for poverty alleviation in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Ssewamala FM, Sperber, ES, Zimmerman JM, Karimli L. The potential of asset‐based development strategies for poverty alleviation in Sub‐Saharan Africa Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 433–443 © 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare. This article explores the potential of a relatively new approach to social development as a poverty alleviation strategy in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA): asset‐based development, an integrated approach to human, social, and economic capital formation. It considers the theoretical framework guiding asset‐based development and the accompanying set of programmatic and policy‐level tools for poverty alleviation in SSA. After considering the recent historical and theoretical contexts of the approach, the authors examine the potential of asset‐based development programs, specifically savings‐led microfinance programs for the poor, to engender development and, more specifically, poverty alleviation in the region. Major challenges and directions for future research are presented.     

Asset‐based policy in rural China: an innovation in the retirement social insurance programme1

In response to growing rural–urban inequality, China is undertaking a series of policy initiatives to promote rural development. In addition to redistributive policy aiming at social protection, asset‐based policy, which integrates social protection and social investment, are a viable option for progressive rural development. In 1998, the Hutubi local government in Xinjiang, China, implemented an innovative retirement programme that allows account holders to use accounts as legal collateral to borrow small loans and invest in productive assets, education, and small businesses. Using the data gathered by the programme organizers and in‐depth interviews with programme participants, this case study closely examines the Hutubi programme. We examine the programme's key features, which have effectively encouraged asset building in a rural community, and identify the programme's strengths and weaknesses. The success of the Hutubi programme has implications for asset‐based policy development in rural China.

为了回应城乡日益扩大的不平等, 中国现正实施一系列新政策以鼓励农村发展。 除了以社会保护为目的的再分配政策外, 资产为本的政策综合了社会保护和社会投资, 是推进农村进步性发展的可行选择。 1998年, 中国新疆呼图壁地区政府实施了崭新的养老计划, 容许户口持有人利用保险户口作为法律担保, 借出小额贷款及投资在具有效益的资产、教育及小型企业上。

透过项目组织者所收集的数据, 以及与参与者进行的深入访谈, 本研究个案将详细剖析呼图壁项目。 我们检视了项目的主要特征, 这些特征有效地促成了农村社区资产的建立。 我们还分析了项目的优缺点。 呼图壁项目的成功对中国农村实行资产为本的政策发展有着深远的启示。     

Household assets,school enrollment,and parental aspirations for children's education in rural China: Does gender matter?

Using rural household data from the China Household Income Project (CHIP) 2002, this article provides an analysis of different effects of household assets independent of family income on children's school enrollment and parental aspirations for education, examining both outcomes by children's gender. The study first compared the responsiveness of boys' and girls' enrollment with the improvement of household assets, measured as liquid assets and net worth, relative to family income. The multivariate regression analysis further detected the effects of household assets on both boys' and girls' school enrollment and parental aspirations for their future education. Statistical results show that, compared with family income, household assets matter more for girls' schooling than for boys'. In addition, household net worth was found to be significantly associated with parental aspirations for children's education regardless of gender. This study, albeit exploratory, sheds light on child welfare and education policies in rural China.     

Building assets from birth: a global comparison of Child Development Account policies

Asset building is a growing theme in public policy, and building assets from birth in the form of Child Development Accounts is now occurring in several countries. This article provides an overview of the Child Development Account policies in Singapore, Canada, the UK and Korea, and the proposed policy in the USA. The key elements of inclusiveness, progressivity, coherence and integration, and development are explicated and discussed.     

Asset poverty in Korea: Levels and composition based on Wolff's definition

Kim K‐S, Kim YM. Asset poverty in Korea: levels and composition based on Wolff's definition The main purpose of the study was to lay the groundwork for establishing a more effective asset‐building policy through accurate measurement and analysis of the level and composition of the asset‐poor Korean population. We defined four asset poverty lines according to the concepts of basic needs, limited period of time and wealth‐type resources from Wolff's operational definition. The size of the Korean asset‐poor population, when considered from the perspectives of net assets and liquid assets, was found to remain around 12.7–13.2 and 32.8–36.5 per cent respectively. This study suggests that it is necessary to establish a differentiated asset‐building policy by age group and to prepare more realistic alternatives to solve housing problems, while empirically verifying the need for an accurate asset poverty line which reflects the definition of asset poverty.