Abstract
This study used the conceptual lens of familisation and defamilisation to examine how different social safety net policy instruments shape low-income family processes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 welfare recipients in Shanghai and Taipei. The study reveals unique patterns under non-Western and low-income contexts. Means-tested cash transfers inadvertently reinforced familisation processes; defamilisation tendencies were observed in subsidies and services tailored for children and parents, and a hybrid process emerged from employment support. Given that low-income families value both defamilisation and familisation measures, the study highlights the critical need for social safety net policies to balance these components.
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