[...]... that there was no clear indication to suggest that social welfare services emerged as a result of industrialization What then accounted for the growth of social welfare in East Asia? As a partial explanation, Midgley suggests that incrementalism might be the key Interestingly, Midgley’s studies unveiled an era of studies all aimed at explaining the nature of social welfare in East Asia One strand of. .. compared to Hong Kong and Singapore in the post-Asian Financial Crisis period As such, certain social policies are capable of being integrative with broad economic change on the one hand while also remaining relatively autonomous and self-evolving on the other THE USE AND ABUSE OF PRODUCTIVISM: MANAGERIALISM AND THE POLITICS OF THE SOCIAL While making a fine distinction between productivism and developmentalism... from the 1940s to the 1960s in post-war reconstruction but not so from the 1970s onwards Since then the nature and extent of collective welfare have been seriously called into question The oil crisis in the 1970s exacerbated the latent problem of inflation and rapid state expansion State intervention in welfare was severely criticized by a new breed of economists having a unique view on the flow of money... expenditures in the fifth year after the Asian Financial Crisis, with Singapore and South Korea in the lead What is interesting is why some East Asian countries spend more than a fair share in welfare than others in the post -crisis era? Huck (2005) suggests that cultural and institutional difference account substantially for such difference Whereas Singapore needs a much bigger boost in welfare to reassert... set of concepts, social development and developmentalism? 2) What are the major social policy issues facing East Asian governments and societies under the overarching influence of productivist thinking? Are East Asian welfare systems on a track leading toward sustainable development or if not, is it heading for some form of crisis? My purpose of the first set of questions is thus to take stock of the. .. assumption of the productivist thesis is problematic: the subordination of social policy to economic policy and the inability of social policy to be autonomous or become one of the shaping forces of the social order (Deyo 1992; Holliday 2005) Section two will examine in detail the various issues concerned by this selected group of researchers who share one common concern: the future of welfare in East Asia. .. Notwithstanding the theoretical plausibility of such characterization, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and its aftermath has led many to question the robustness of the productivism thesis In fact, since the economic crisis, all tiger economies have, to varying degree and extent, suffered from maladies arising from unemployment, widening urban poverty, and income inequalities As a consequence, we find rising... genealogy of modern theorists who favored institutionalism in social welfare Richard Titmuss (1962) was instrumental in establishing the whole subject of social administration in London School of Economics, putting trust on planning and collective redistribution of social resources At the same time, Gunnar Myrdal (1968) spearheaded the development of a unified approach in development planning in the United... built with their own savings and pray that the government will be able to maintain long-term house price stability The Question of Sustainability, Workfare, and Social Exclusion The functioning of the Singaporean system depends on a number of important factors First, it greatly depends on the competence of the government to maintain housing values Politically, a successful housing program adds to the legitimacy... implementation of productivism has come to bear new meanings in East Asia In social welfare, it means the emphasis on workfare, self-reliance, entrepreneurship building, and family mutual-aid In housing, it means homeownership, private renting, and lesser dependence on public housing subsidies In health, it means fee-charging, prioritization of illnesses, and private health insurance All East Asian societies . 2007017203 ISBN: 97 8-0 -7 39 1-1 17 8-9 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN: 97 8-0 -7 39 1-4 66 5-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN: 97 8-0 -7 39 1-4 66 6-8 (electronic) Printed in the United States of America ϱ ™ The paper used in this. Evolution of Full Employment Policy in China 203 Ho Lup Fung 11 The Coming Housing Crisis of China 223 Ya Peng Zhu and James Lee 12 Concluding Observations: Is There a Crisis of Welfare in East Asia? . alt="" The Crisis of Welfare in East Asia 10_343_00_FM.qxd 5/20/10 11:39 AM Page i 10_343_00_FM.qxd 5/20/10 11:39 AM Page ii The Crisis of Welfare in East Asia Edited by James Lee and Kam-wah Chan LEXINGTON