2018 - 2019 返回

Political Economy and the Building of China’s Long-Term Care Labor Force

Critical, Comparative and Historical Perspectives

Prof. Baozhen Luo, Western Washington University


Abstract：Population aging poses unprecedented challenges to the health and long-term care (LTC) systems in many countries, among which the shortage in caregiving workforce is paramount. Such a challenge is particularly acute in China where the demographic shifts are fast and the capacity of family in care provision is rapidly declining. From a standpoint of political economy, this presentation will first offer a critical review of China’s development in long-term care service infrastructure and caregiving labor force since 2000s. Then, It will explore potential solutions China can employ to address the impending crisis of caregiver shortage through two lenses: 1. a comparative one by examining successes and failures from the American and German long-term care systems; 2. a historical one by drawing inspirations from China’s own Barefoot Doctor Program within the Rural Cooperative Medical System (CMS) during the Mao era.  Last, borrowing insights from feminist economists, the presentation will conclude with an analysis concerning how to strategically position the development of China’s LTC labor force within the government’s current Targeted Poverty Alleviation effort and other policy initiatives for sustainable development.

Biography: Dr. Luo is currently an associate professor in Sociology at Western Washington University and an affiliate researcher of the Claude Pepper Center at Florida State University. Her current research examines political economies and long-term care policies and practices in the Global North (with a special focus on the U.S.) and the Global South (with a special focus on China). In addition to producing scholarly works, she also currently hosts a column called “Four Dimension Channel” (四維頻道) discussing a wide range of topics related to elder care policies, cultures, and practices at www.thepaper.cn (澎湃新聞) based in Shanghai. She has also written for Foreign Affairs and served as a regular commentator for China’s Global Television Network.


Time 12:00 – 13:30, Tuesday, 9 January 2018

Lunch Fee Free Admission, HK$20.00 for Lunch

Venue USC, 8/F, Tin Ka Ping Building, CUHK

Language English