Abstract
Historical materialism sees society as a system in which forces of production, relations of production and superstructure interact. Each of these is in turn a system of factors and in the current comprehensive reform the social security system is required to preserve stability as much as economic reform is required for dynamism. Social security is needed to enhance aspirations, but it is a basic right, and guarantees the process of social reproduction as well as stability. China can learn from the welfare crisis of the West, but should focus on new problems and methods. The state should encourage family, collective and society to perform security functions jointly, with family care for the aged, develop pension systems with enterprises and workers, coordinate equality with efficiency both by acknowledging disparities in income and adjusting through taxation, and establish targets for social development.
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