Source: CCTV.com

01-04-2008 09:12

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has released a blue paper on the country's social development in 2007. The people's livelihood and social fairness have become the key words in the social development agenda.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has released a blue paper on the country's social development in 2007.

The 2008 Blue Paper says after years of economic development, improving the people's livelihood has become the priority of China's social construction strategy, marked by raised living standards, rising incomes for rural residents, and better social security and employment conditions.

According to a survey conducted for the Blue Paper, surging inflation has become the top concern of both rural and urban residents. In second place is housing reform for urban residents, and the safety of food and medicine for rural residents.

Researcher of CASS said "Consumer price inflation has a bigger impact on low income families. Their expenditure on food accounts for a larger percentage of their overall disposable income. As the food price inflation is most evident in the overall growth of consumer prices, it will have the biggest impact on low-income families."

The Blue Paper calls for the establishment of index-linked welfare benefits for low-income families, as they are most heavily impacted by the rising CPI.

 

Editor:Xiong Qu