Kochi:
Efforts are on in China to strike a balance between market-based
economic growth and social development based on the principles
of equity. This was stated by Zhang Xiaoshan, director
of the Rural Development Institute, Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences (CASS), Beijing.
Prof.
Zhang was participating in a discussion on a joint study
plan made by CASS, Centre for Development Studies (CDS),
Thiruvananthapuram, and Sampatpur University, Orissa,
on social security schemes in rural India and China, at
COSTFORD.
China
was earlier following an egalitarian model of development
that emphasised centralised planning. There was no room
for individual incentives and, freedom was also restricted.
These led to economic stagnation and China then wanted
to reform its political, administrative, and economic
structure. The reforms yielded economic growth and gave
a lot of freedom to the people, he said.
Though
Chinese economy and the country as a whole are more dynamic
now, there are also growing problems of inequality, rural-urban
divide, unemployment, and other forms of marginalisation
and exclusion. China was now trying to evolve a development
paradigm that would retain economic growth and ensure
social equity, Prof. Zhang said.
He
pointed out that reliance on unbridled market forces could
lead to several problems including social chaos. Unleashing
of market forces would provide incentives to the people
to work more. At the same time, there should be a mechanism
to motivate people to share with the poor at least a portion
of the wealth they would acquire in market economies.
Replying
to questions, Prof. Zhang said that indicators of disparity
in income were now very high in China. There were also
significant differences in the availability of disposable
income among those in rural and urban areas. Unemployment
was as high as 4.2 per cent as per the official estimates,
but unofficially, it was estimated to be about six per
cent, he said.
Asked
about the steps China was taking to contain such problems,
Prof Zhang said social security schemes were being worked
out for the urban and rural poor. Efforts were also being
made to reduce the burden of the people in the education
and health sectors. He said Chinese experts felt that
the participatory development approach that Kerala had
been trying could provide inputs in China's attempt to
evolve a new development paradigm.
The
Indo-Chinese joint study plan is being undertaken in Thalikkulam
in Thrissur, four small villages in Orissa, and one village
in China. Du Yintang of CASS, Vijayamohan Pillai of the
CDS,
and T.R. Chandradutt, Director of COSTFORD, were among
those who participated in the discussions.
|