165-531: The Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ( CSSA ) scheme is a welfare programme in Hong Kong that provides supplementary payments to Hong Kong residents whose income is not sufficient to meet basic needs . The first public assistance scheme was first introduced in 1971 as the foundation of Hong Kong's social security system. Prior to 1971 the social relief was largely confined and temporary. The Social Welfare Department only came into existence in 1958 and
330-410: A basic level of well-being through subsidized social services such as healthcare , education , infrastructure, vocational training , and public housing. In a welfare state , the state assumes responsibility for the health, education, infrastructure and welfare of society, providing a range of social services such as those described. Some historians view systems of codified almsgiving , like
495-584: A car sales tax, which was dubbed as the Lexusgate scandal, resigned on the same day. During the debate over Hong Kong's constitutional development, Tung was criticised as not reflecting effectively the views of the general population to push for 2007/08 universal suffrage to the People's Republic of China government. Although the primary target of popular opposition was the PRC government, Tung's lack of support for
660-518: A care provider, this insurance is provided by the state. The basic pension insurance provides, in time old-age pension (includes regular, proportional, early and other variants of old-age pension), disability benefits, widower's and orphan's pension. Pension insurance is applied for at the District Social Security Administration in the applicant's place of permanent residence. They can apply in person or by proxy, on
825-564: A closed-door meeting that Beijing may not appoint former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong John Tsang as Chief Executive even if he wins the election. He said this was the reason he asked Carrie Lam to run in the election in order to prevent an "embarrassing situation". 30 electors of the Legal subsector in the Election Committee expressed "deep concerns" about Tung's comments in a joint statement, stating that "such action undermines
990-495: A factor in their eligibility. For example, a student applying for the CSSA may not work because of studying or having to look after sick family members. As of 30 September 2017, there are 234,292 cases of CSSA. Compared to 2014, there were 254,054 cases, marking it as a decrease. Of the 234,292 cases so far in 2017, 144,507 of those are related to those with old age, while 4,641 of those are due to low earnings. The table below lists all
1155-501: A family responsibility is correct in theory." Long term plans in social welfare were introduced in the 1970s with double in social spending per capita between 1971 and 1974. Modeled from the British National Assistance Act , the 1971 public assistance scheme indicated the willingness of the government to take care the basic needs of those who are infirm and ill, which has not changed significantly throughout
1320-528: A farming revolution where many sheep farms were broken up and sold to become smaller dairy farms. This enabled thousands of new farmers to buy land and develop a new and vigorous industry that has become the backbone of New Zealand's economy to this day. This liberal tradition flourished with increased enfranchisement for indigenous Māori in the 1880s and women. Pensions for the elderly, the poor and war casualties followed, with State-run schools, hospitals and subsidized medical and dental care. By 1960, New Zealand
1485-498: A huge caseload. In the study conducted by Hong Kong Chinese Civil Servants’ Association (HKCCSA), over half of the respondents have encountered mental problems due to the high working pressure. Eventually, it costed an average of 30 working days for processing a new case of CSSA (by field units), while it costed an average of 10 minutes before a CSSA's client is attended (in field units). Caseworkers have been criticised for their poor attitude when handling CSSA applications. The Office of
1650-854: A lifelong passion for the Liverpool Football Club . He graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Science degree in marine engineering in 1960. From Liverpool he was sent to the United States to work as an engineer at General Electric in Massachusetts , and then for the family business in New York . He also lived in San Francisco before he returned to Hong Kong in 1969. All of Tung's children hold American citizenship. He joined his father's business upon his return to Hong Kong in 1969 and gradually took over
1815-439: A percentage of total public expenditure, as a whole, increased from 3.9% in 1992/3 to 7.25% in 2001/2, CSSA payments alone constituted the largest increase in social welfare expenditure, costing 2.6 of the total government recurrent expenditure in 1993/4 to 8.6% in 1999/2000. While the then Director of Social Welfare, Carrie Lam , remarked in 2001, "There is a consensus within the community that we do not wish to see Hong Kong become
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#17327732002261980-524: A protest in January attracting a mere few thousand protesters compared to the 1 July protests of 2003 and 2004. However, the popularity of Tung himself remained low compared to his deputies including Donald Tsang and Henry Tang . Tung's reputation suffered further damage when Hu Jintao gave him a humiliating public dressing-down for poor governance in December 2004. Official sources specifically cited
2145-582: A range of services, including universal healthcare, free education, and a comprehensive system of social security. It also provides financial assistance to citizens in need through programs such as unemployment benefits, housing assistance, and social assistance for low-income families. In Philippines, social welfare is mainly provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). DSWD provides social welfare such as cash assistance (ayuda) and physical goods. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
2310-627: A range of social services and financial assistance to its citizens. The Estonian welfare state is a liberal welfare state, which means that it provides a minimal safety net for citizens in need and places a greater emphasis on individual responsibility and self-sufficiency. The Estonian welfare state provides a range of services, including universal healthcare, free education, and a comprehensive system of social security. It also provides financial assistance to citizens in need through programs such as unemployment benefits, housing assistance, and social assistance for low-income families. The Estonian welfare state
2475-509: A rather critical verdict on his own performance. The speculation which was running rife in the weeks in the run-up to his actual resignation, and its intensity, continued to perpetuate the impression of Tung's "weakness" and "confusion". Prior to Tung's resignation, in mid-February Stanley Ho , a tycoon with close ties with Beijing, had already commented on the possible candidates for the next Chief Executive and personally endorsed Donald Tsang. This started rumours that Tung would be nominated to
2640-664: A result of the continual alarming increase in CSSA expenditure, the government released the CSSA Review Report titled ‘ Support for Self-reliance ’ for public consultation in December 1998 as well as published the Report on Review of the CSSA Scheme . The financial secretary, Donald Tsang , noted "we would only be able to meet the ever-growing demands within our overall expenditure constraints by re-examining policies and re-adjusting spending priorities. The modifications to
2805-603: A result, despite the severe setback in the second quarter from the impact of SARS, with unemployment cases rising sharply from 7.2% in the fourth quarter of 2002 to 8.7% in May–July 2003, the Hong Kong economy recovered and grew by 3.3 per cent, faster than the 2.3 per cent growth in 2002. However, expenditure on social welfare reduced, with the Executive Council approving a reduction of the standard rate of CSSA allowances by 11%. The Task Force on Population Policy set up by
2970-411: A result, the government had to postpone and later withdraw the bill from the legislative agenda. On 17 July 2003, Regina Ip , the then Secretary for Security who was responsible for implementing Article 23, resigned for personal reasons. Another Principal Official, Finance Secretary Antony Leung , who earlier suffered from a scandal over his purchase of a luxury vehicle weeks prior to his introduction of
3135-475: A right to social welfare benefits under the CSSA scheme." Furthermore, the CFA considered that this seven year residence requirement was inconsistent with the one-way permit policy implemented by the Hong Kong government to facilitate family reunions and also to alleviate the overall burden of population ageing. Indeed, welcoming new immigrants could help rejuvenating Hong Kong population. This shift in CSSA requirement
3300-509: A significant effect on social protection policies. Prior to the 1980s, most Latin American countries focused on social insurance policies involving formal sector workers, assuming that the informal sector would disappear with economic development . The economic crisis of the 1980s and the liberalization of the labor market led to a growing informal sector and a rapid increase in poverty and inequality. Latin American countries did not have
3465-453: A so-called widow's / widower's pension. Provided to widowed individuals from the Czech pension system, its aim is to compensate households for losing income that they would in this situation be lacking. The widowed individual is entitled to a pension from a deceased person who has received an old-age or disability pension or has fulfilled the statutory condition on the required insurance period at
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#17327732002263630-564: A strong social security system to provide support to citizens in need. It also places a strong emphasis on promoting social cohesion and reducing income inequality, and it has a relatively high level of social spending compared to other countries. Solidarity is a strong value of the French Social Protection system. The first article of the French Code of Social Security describes the principle of solidarity. Solidarity
3795-651: A system known as the Nordic model . Esping-Andersen classified the most developed welfare state systems into three categories; Social Democratic, Conservative, and Liberal. A report published by the ILO in 2014 estimated only 27% of the world population has access to comprehensive social security. The World Bank 's 2019 World Development Report argues that the traditional payroll-based model of many kinds of social insurance are "increasingly challenged by working arrangements outside standard employment contracts". Welfare can take
3960-521: A variety of forms, such as monetary payments, subsidies and vouchers , or housing assistance. Welfare systems differ from country to country, but welfare is commonly provided to individuals who are unemployed , those with illness or disability , the elderly , those with dependent children, and veterans . Programs may have a variety of conditions for a person to receive welfare: Not all citizens use their social rights. Selective social rights have higher non-take-up rate than universal social rights due to
4125-560: A welfare state relying on heavy taxes, that there is a limit to how much the Government can spend and that the virtues of self-reliance, family cohesion and community support should be preserved, in Tung Chee-Hwa ’s 2000 Policy Address, he stressed that while social policy only operates as a safety net function, he acknowledges that the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis did make an impact on the community and pledged that he would focus on
4290-553: A year. However, after 2004, Hong Kong residents were only eligible to apply for CSSA after living in Hong Kong for seven years. This was in effect from 2004 to 2013. On 17 December 2013, this residence requirement was considered to be unconstitutional by the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (CFA) . Indeed, "the top court ruled that the seven-year residency rule breached Article 36 of the Basic Law, which says every citizen has
4455-497: Is a Hong Kong businessman and retired politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He served as a vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) between 2005 and 2023. Born as the eldest son of Chinese shipping magnate Tung Chao Yung , who founded Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), Tung took over
4620-399: Is a distinction between disability pension for individuals with first, second and third degree disability. The amount of the pension depends on the rate of decline of the person's ability to work, with the categories being divided between the first degree (a decrease of 35–49%), the second degree (a decrease of 50–69%), and the third degree (a decrease of 70% and above). Furthermore, there is
4785-439: Is a great burden for SSAs to strike a balance between entertaining the applicant's need and preventing any fraud and abuse. At a Policy Address in January 2017, then-Chief Executive, CY Leung , introduced several new amendments to the social welfare of Hong Kong. One of these included raising the eligibility age of the elderly from 60 to 65 years old to apply for CSSA. On the other hand, Elderly Health Care Vouchers age eligibility
4950-647: Is commonly comprehended in relations of similar work, shared responsibility and common risks. Existing solidarities in France caused the expansion of health and social security. The welfare state has a long tradition in Germany dating to the Industrial Revolution . Due to the pressure of the workers' movement in the late 19th century, Reichskanzler Otto von Bismarck introduced the first rudimentary state social insurance scheme . Under Adolf Hitler ,
5115-409: Is funded through a mix of taxation and public spending, and it relies on a strong social security system to provide support to citizens in need. However, compared to other welfare states, it has relatively low levels of social spending and may rely more on private sector solutions to address social welfare issues. The Finnish Nordic model welfare state is based on the principles of social equality and
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5280-521: Is insufficient to meet their total monthly needs as recognised under the Scheme." Able-bodied individuals also have additional criteria to be considered for the CSSA. Those that are aged 15–59 with normal health conditions are deemed able-bodied. They must either earn more than HK$ 2,160 per month and work more than 120 hours per month, or be actively seeking work, and participating in the job-finding program. As well, their reason for being unable to work plays
5445-428: Is intended for gainfully employed individuals who, in cases of short-term social events, are provided with health insurance benefits. These are provided through financial benefits. Sickness insurance participants are employees and self-employed individuals. Employees are compulsorily covered by sickness insurance, unlike the self-employed, whose sickness insurance is voluntary (and there is no penalisation for opting out of
5610-413: Is now followed by (usually much lower) Arbeitslosengeld II (ALG II) or Sozialhilfe , which is independent of previous employment ( Hartz IV concept). As of 2022 , under ALG II, single adults receive up to €449 per month plus the cost of 'adequate' housing. ALG II can also be paid partially to employed persons to supplement a low work income. The Directive Principles of India , enshrined in part IV of
5775-418: Is of increasing alarm to policy makers in Hong Kong is the highest increase in CSSA expenditure from HK$ 1.408 billion in the 1992/93 financial year to HK$ 14.407 billion in 2001/02, an increase of 9.6 times in an interval of eight years. Government expenditure on CSSA had increased from 31.6% of the total social security expenditure in Hong Kong in 1992/93 to 72.8% in 2001/02. Although social welfare expenditure as
5940-544: Is often referred to instead of social security, encompassing a broader set of means, such as labour market intervention and local community-based programs, to alleviate poverty and provide security against things like unemployment. Prior to 1900 in Australia, charitable assistance from benevolent societies, sometimes with financial contributions from the authorities, was the primary means of relief for people not able to support themselves. The 1890s economic depression and
6105-751: Is one of the most well known social welfare programs by the DSWD where cash grants are given to parents and guardians in poverty to help their children continue schooling. This has assisted parents and guardians in poverty by helping them buy food and school supplies for their dependents. The Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is also another social welfare program where the DSWD provides education, cash grants, or items such as vehicles and food stalls to individuals and communities to aid in their livelihoods. SLP grants are given to individuals such as street food vendors and organisations such as farmers cooperatives. DSWD also provides medical assistance for those who cannot afford
6270-487: Is outlined in a series of social policies , as is the tradition in Europe. Their goal is primarily preventing, but also mitigating social situations individuals may find themselves in through their lives. The social welfare is provided through social (including pension) insurance, sick insurance (not to be confused with health insurance ), public policy related to unemployment and low income benefits, which are financed through
6435-415: Is part of social insurance, in addition to sickness insurance and serves as a contribution to the state employment policy. It is a premium for old age retirement, disability retirement or benefits in the event of the death of the primary provider in a household. Participation in pension insurance is mandatory for economically active individuals. For those on various forms of benefits, or currently registered as
6600-472: Is responsible for the execution of CSSA, in which frontline caseworkers like Senior Social Security Assistant (SSSA) and Social Security Assistant (SSA) in the SSA rank are responsible for the investigation and assessment on CSSA cases. Workload of the SSA rank has been increasing over the years, with low increase in corresponding workforce. CSSA's recipients in 2010-2011 totalled 446,783, with 1,124 staff members in
6765-476: Is therefore compulsory for all self-employed individuals, employees and employers operating in the Czech Republic and gets deducted from a salary in a similar manner to taxes. This insurance serves to finance unemployment support, disability benefits and covers a part of an employer's salary in cases of long-term illness that obstructs them from participating in the workforce. The sickness insurance system
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6930-485: The 2012 Chief Executive election , it was reported that one of the two candidates, Leung Chun-ying was Tung's protege and therefore Leung acquired the goodwill of Xi Jinping , then the head of managing the Hong Kong and Macau affairs . Leung, who was seen as the underdog, eventually won in the election over the other pro-Beijing candidate Henry Tang . In 2014, Tung founded a thinktank Our Hong Kong Foundation . The foundation has about 80 advisors which consists some of
7095-473: The 2017 Chief Executive election , he was seen hugging Carrie Lam, then Chief Secretary for Administration who was seen as potential candidate for the Chief Executive after incumbent Leung Chun-ying announced he would not seek for re-election. It was seen as his blessing for Lam to be the next Chief Executive. In February, Hong Kong Economic Journal cited unnamed sources that Tung Chee-hwa said in
7260-682: The Aadhaar system to distribute welfare measures in India. Some of the social programmes undertaken by the government are: As of 2023, the government's expenditure on social programme and welfare was approximately ₹ 21.3 lakh crore (US$ 260 billion), which was 8.3% of gross domestic product (GDP). In 2020, the expenditure was ₹ 17.1 lakh crore (equivalent to ₹ 20 trillion or US$ 240 billion in 2023), accounting for 7.7% of GDP. The Israeli government spend 86 billion NIS ($ 22.8 billion) in 2014. They are administered by
7425-628: The Attlee government (1944–1951). In the countries of western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, social welfare is mainly provided by the government out of the national tax revenues , and to a lesser extent by non-government organizations (NGOs), and charities (social and religious). A right to social security and an adequate standard of living is asserted in Articles 22 and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . In
7590-618: The Basic Law and ordered that the previous one-year requirement be reinstated. Though the allocation of CSSA is committing to the government regulations, the effectiveness of this social welfare, which aims to provide appropriate aid to the suitable clients, heavily depends on the frontline caseworkers who have close interaction with the applicants. As of November 2017, there are a total of 2,394 staff working under Social Security Branch in Social Welfare Department, which
7755-399: The Basic Law . In Carrie Lam ’s 2017 Policy Address, she states "We will continue to devote resources to poverty alleviation as well as support for the disadvantaged in order to build a caring and inclusive society." On using fiscal reserves wisely she notes, "Sound public finance and optimal use of public resources are key to good governance…I fully appreciate the requirements stipulated in
7920-755: The Biblical Maaser Ani , or poor- tithe , as well as Biblical practices, such as permitting the poor to glean the corners of a field and harvest during the Shmita (Sabbatical year). There is relatively little statistical data on transfer payments before the High Middle Ages . In the medieval period and until the Industrial Revolution , the function of welfare payments in Europe was achieved through private giving or charity, through numerous confraternities and activities of different religious orders . Early welfare programs in Europe included
8085-734: The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in March 2005. In 2008, Tung formed the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), a group whose stated aim is to promote better understanding between the two countries. In 2009, he was named a Global Fellow at Columbia University . In 2017, it was reported that the CUSEF has been a tool for the Chinese Communist Party to push to strengthen its influence over policy debate around
8250-521: The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference , the top advisory body of China. He also established close relationship with US President George H. W. Bush and US Assistant Secretary of State Winston Lord . Under the consensus between the British and Chinese government, Tung, until then remained a low profile in politics, was appointed to the Executive Council of Hong Kong by
8415-530: The English Poor Law of 1601 , which gave parishes the responsibility for providing welfare payments to the poor. This system was substantially modified by the 19th-century Poor Law Amendment Act , which introduced the system of workhouses . It was predominantly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that an organized system of state welfare provision was introduced in many countries. Otto von Bismarck , Chancellor of Germany, introduced one of
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#17327732002268580-576: The Great Depression , most social services were provided by religious charities and other private groups. Changing government policy between the 1930s and 1960s saw the emergence of a welfare state, similar to many Western European countries. Most programs from that era are still in use, although many were scaled back during the 1990s as government priorities shifted towards reducing debt and deficits . Social welfare in Czech Republic
8745-703: The Indian Constitution , reflect that India is a welfare state. The National Food Security Act, 2013 aims to guarantee right to food to all citizens. The welfare system was fragmented until the passing of The Code on Social Security, 2020 , which standardised most of the programmes. The Government of India 's social programmes and welfare expenditures are a substantial portion of the official budget, and state and local governments play roles in developing and implementing social security policies. Additional welfare measure systems are also uniquely operated by various state governments. The government uses
8910-457: The Mainland , and overseas countries. With that, a single able-bodied adult applying for the CSSA has an asset limit of HK$ 30,500, while a child, elder, disabled or ill-health individual's limit is HK$ 47,000. Any persons over the age of 60 is considered to be an elderly individual. For family households, an able-bodied adult or child's asset limit is HK$ 20,500, while four or more members would set
9075-461: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services , and by Israel's national social security agency, Bituah Leumi . Social security schemes include pensions for the elderly and the disabled, unemployment benefits, and income support for low income households. All residents of Israel must pay insurance contributions to qualify for welfare. The Italian welfare state's foundations were laid along
9240-634: The National Socialist Program stated "We demand an expansion on a large scale of old age welfare." Today, the social protection of all its citizens is considered a central pillar of German national policy. 27.6 percent of Germany's GDP is channeled into an all-embracing system of health, pension, accident , longterm care and unemployment insurance , compared to 16.2 percent in the US. In addition, there are tax-financed services such as child benefits ( Kindergeld , beginning at €192 per month for
9405-806: The Roman Empire , the first emperor Augustus provided the Cura Annonae or grain dole for citizens who could not afford to buy food every month. Social welfare was enlarged by the Emperor Trajan . Trajan's program brought acclaim from many, including Pliny the Younger . Other provisions for the poor were introduced during the history of Ancient Rome, such as the Alimenta . The Song dynasty government (960 CE) supported multiple programs which could be classified as social welfare, including
9570-701: The SARS outbreak . Tung resigned in the middle of his second term on 10 March 2005. After his resignation, he was appointed vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference by the Beijing government and formed the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) in 2008 to influence public opinion towards China in the United States. In 2014, he founded a think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation consisting of
9735-512: The Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, though the zakat system was frequently inefficient and corrupt; Islamic jurists often instructed Muslims to distribute money to the needy directly instead to maximize its impact. Likewise, in Jewish tradition, charity (represented by tzedakah ) is a matter of religious obligation rather than benevolence. Contemporary charity is regarded as a continuation of
9900-622: The central government , including Jiang Zemin, former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Questions arose over Tung's decision to grant the Cyberport Project to Richard Li , son of tycoon Li Ka-shing , without the benefit of an open tender. The way in which the Walt Disney Company's land grant for its theme park on a 50-year lease apparently disrupted the market, and for studying
10065-613: The zakat policy of the seventh century (634 CE) Rashidun caliph Umar , as early examples of universal government welfare. The first welfare state was Imperial Germany (1871–1918), where the Bismarck government introduced social security in 1889. In the early 20th century, the United Kingdom introduced social security around 1913, and adopted the welfare state with the National Insurance Act 1946 , during
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#173277320022610230-497: The 2003 Policy Address by the HKSAR government, the principle of "big market, small government" was introduced by Tung Chee-hwa and restated in the 2009-10 Policy Address by Donald Tsang . Hong Kong's economic pragmatism towards social policy was reminiscent of the productivist welfare capitalism followed by other East Asian countries, with social policy being strictly subordinate to the overriding policy objective of economic growth. As
10395-593: The American usage) and not to healthcare and education spending (as in the European usage). The Canadian social safety net covers a broad spectrum of programs, and because Canada is a federation , many are run by the provinces . Canada has a wide range of government transfer payments to individuals, which totaled $ 145 billion in 2006. Only social programs that direct funds to individuals are included in that cost; programs such as medicare and public education are additional costs. Generally speaking, before
10560-470: The Article 107 in the Basic Law of Hong Kong stipulates that Hong Kong "shall follow the principle of keeping the expenditure within the limits of revenues in drawing up its budget, and strive to achieve a fiscal balance, avoid deficits and keep the budget commensurate with the growth rate of its gross domestic product". Increase in public expenditure is only possible when budget surplus is available, however
10725-496: The Basic Law of keeping expenditure within the limits of revenues and avoiding fiscal deficits as far as possible." Despite the last time the HKSAR government have fallen into a fiscal deficit was in 2003/4 and now currently holding a fiscal reserve in excess of HK$ 1,000 billion, the total CSSA caseload at the end of August stood at 234 930 with a total of 344,910 recipients, dropping from 253,054 cases and 381,307 recipients in 2014-15. While fiscal conservatism in Hong Kong stemmed from
10890-700: The Betterment of Hong Kong , two pro-government parties in the Legislative Council , were also appointed into the Executive Council to form a "ruling alliance," a de facto coalition. This practically shut out the pro-democratic parties and individuals. The first major move of Tung in his second term was to push for the national security legislation to implement Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law in September 2002. However,
11055-423: The CSSA Scheme which aim at removing dependence on CSSA and encouraging able-bodied recipients to rejoin the workforce are introduced with this objective in mind. We cannot afford much longer double-digit growth in welfare spending each". HKSAR's goal to increase self-reliance and wean off those who rely on CSSA parallels with a global trend of reforming social security with a ‘welfare-to-work’ strategy as initiated by
11220-413: The CSSA cases by nature of the case from 2010 to September 2017. It is evident that the number of cases from each category have dropped gradually each year. One limb of the eligibility test for CSSA is the requirement of having been resident in Hong Kong for a certain number of years in the past, though not necessarily immediately before applying. Under the predecessor schemes to the CSSA, this requirement
11385-418: The CSSA, where members of the same family living under the same roof have to apply to CSSA as a single unit. One request for this entire household would then suffice and be taken into account: "If the applicant is living with any other family members, the application has to be made on a household basis. The total resources and needs of all family members in the same household are taken into account in determining
11550-628: The Chief Executive. The system was portrayed as the key to solve previous administrative problems, notably the cooperation of high-ranking civil servants with the Chief Executive. Under the new system, all heads of bureau became members of the Executive Council , and came directly under the Chief Executive instead of the Chief Secretary or the Financial Secretary. The heads of the Liberal Party and Democratic Alliance for
11715-552: The Chinese Communist Party , who had risen to power surrounded by his " Shanghai clique "; Tung could be associated with them because he was from the nearby city of Ningbo , Zhejiang and had lived and worked in Shanghai for a while. Tung was a member of the Basic Law Consultative Committee from 1985 to 1990, responsible for the drafting of the Basic Law of Hong Kong . In 1993, he was appointed to
11880-467: The Government's long-term commitment to improving people's livelihood." When compared to the 1997–98, expenditure on social welfare increased by about two-fold and CSSA expenditure increased from HK$ 9.4 billion in 1997/8 to HK$ 18.4 billion. However, in terms of CSSA expenditure as a percentage of total recurrent percentage, there was only a 0.2 increase, with CSSA expenditure accounting for 6.3% of total recurrent expenditure in 1997/8 and 6.5% in 2013/14. Since
12045-731: The HKSAR government's new initiatives and expansion activities to welfare, health and housing. Although never claiming to be a welfare state , both the positive non-interventionist philosophy and the imperative to maintain a balanced budget have produced limited welfare provisions and a growing intensification of poverty for the elderly, unemployed and the working poor. Figure 1: Statistics on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme, 1997/98-2014/15 However, in Tung Chee-hwa 's first policy address in October 1997, he announced that his 'Administration will work to improve conditions for
12210-568: The Hong Kong SAR. In 1996, he was elected the Chief Executive by a 400-member Selection Committee . His government was embroiled with a series of crises, including the bird flu and the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis . In 2002, he was re-elected without competition. In 2003, more than 500,000 protesters demanded Tung to step down in the light of the proposed legislation of the Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 and
12375-520: The Hong Kong government received a tremendous number of applications from people who were not initially eligible because they had been living in Hong Kong for less than seven years. Back then, many people were worried that this change of policy would highly impact the financial burden. To reassure people on the real cost of this policy change, the government published figures. In September 2014, 18,439 people who had been living in Hong Kong for less than seven years received CSSA and it accounted for only 4.8% of
12540-521: The Invalid and Old-Aged Pensions Act 1908. A national invalid disability pension was started in 1910, and a national maternity allowance was introduced in 1912. During the Second World War, Australia under a labor government created a welfare state by enacting national schemes for: child endowment in 1941 (superseding the 1927 New South Wales scheme); a widows' pension in 1942 (superseding
12705-708: The New Labour Government in the United Kingdom . The number of CSSA unemployment cases dropped by 23% from 32,335 cases in May 1999 to 24,998 in May 2000. Similarly, the share of unemployment cases among all CSSA cases dropped from 13.8 percent to 11 percent, and the ratio of unemployment CSSA caseloads to total number of unemployed persons in Hong Kong decreased from 15.5 percent to 14.8 percent. Figure 2: Social Security Expenditure in Hong Kong In
12870-579: The New South Wales 1926 scheme); a wife's allowance in 1943; additional allowances for the children of pensioners in 1943; and unemployment, sickness, and special benefits in 1945 (superseding the Queensland 1923 scheme). Canada has a welfare state in the European tradition; however, it is not referred to as "welfare", but rather as "social programs". In Canada, "welfare" usually refers specifically to direct payments to poor individuals (as in
13035-617: The Ombudsman issued an investigation report in December 2008, disclosing the loose check and indifferent judgment of the SWD frontline workers. The Ombudsman criticised these caseworkers by stating that the "abandonment of common sense and lack of practical judgment" between the staff in SWD had caused abuse of the CSSA system. Moreover, legislative councillor Cheung Chiu Hung argued that the SSA ranks are not licensed social workers, who could handle administrative work only, without understanding what
13200-400: The SSA rank. Each frontline workers have to conduct nine interviews with new applicants on average every working day, and receiving 18 phone enquiry. As well, they must regularly review interviews with existing recipients, verify documents, make home visits and finish other workloads. On average, each CSSA caseworker has to deal with 320 cases in total per year. Caseworkers could hardly bear such
13365-580: The White Paper published by a Working Party in 1991 set up by Governor David Wilson , the public assistance scheme was renamed the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme in 1993 and its benefits were increased. The Working Party claimed to improve welfare "without creating the sort of dependency culture that has emerged in some industrial societies", it resisted to expand the welfare benefits along
13530-508: The applicant have been resident in Hong Kong for one year immediately prior to the date of applicant. Both of the requirements introduced in 2004 have since been struck down by the courts. In June 2010, in response to a lawsuit by a Hong Kong permanent resident formerly working in mainland China who had returned to Hong Kong after becoming unemployed, the Court of First Instance held that the requirement of one year's residence immediately prior to
13695-425: The applicant's eligibility with a challenging tone which will cause the applicant to voluntarily withdraw themselves. Caseworkers might also exercise discretion during the stage of case investigation. They may discretionarily verify the applicant's documents and omit the examination of the applicant's living condition throughout the home visit. Lastly, CSSA frontline caseworkers usually would not disclose how much grants
13860-639: The applicants really need, due to heavy workload. In the HKCCSA study, nearly 90% of respondents agree that they have no extra time to find out applicants' needs apart from CSSA. It is acknowledged that newly hired caseworkers will be offered a one-week training course, which introduces the regulations in SWD and code of how to pay real concern on applicants. However, in the HKCCSA study, 71% of respondents did not think those regulations were pragmatic, in which half of them even cannot work completely in compliance with those regulations. Caseworkers should strictly follow
14025-442: The application process even if against their own will just to make the recipients are satisfied, avoiding any troubles and subsequently being complained by supervisors. Additionally, there are situations where the caseworkers may set up the cases for those who are seemingly ineligible, in order to maintain their caseloads. Exercising discretionary power can minimise requests form CSSA applicants, and hence reduce their workload. Thus, it
14190-428: The asset limit to be HK$ 82,000. For elders, disabled persons or ill-health individuals in family cases, one member's asset limit would be HK$ 47,000 while six members would set the limit to HK$ 162,000. To be eligible and considered for the CSSA, individuals must fall below the stated asset limits. As for the income test, an individual or a family will be eligible for CSSA if "their total assessable monthly household income
14355-445: The basis of a notarized power of attorney. The amount of the pension consists of two component – the basic acreage and the percentage acreage. Another form of pension is the disability pension. This is provided to individuals that are unable to participate in the workforce to the same degree as their able-bodied counterparts, due to their disability contributing to the decline of their ability to work (be it partially or entirely). There
14520-419: The basis of need alone (e.g. most disability benefits). The International Labour Organization defines social security as covering support for those in old age , support for the maintenance of children , medical treatment , parental and sick leave , unemployment and disability benefits , and support for sufferers of occupational injury . More broadly, welfare may also encompass efforts to provide
14685-428: The belief that all citizens should have access to the same basic rights and opportunities. It provides a range of services, including universal healthcare, free education, and a comprehensive system of social security. It also provides financial assistance to citizens in need through programs such as unemployment benefits, housing assistance, and social assistance for low-income families. The Finnish welfare state relies on
14850-401: The birth of a disabled child, when this period is extended even more. The beginning of maternity leave is usually 6 weeks before expected due date, and after maternity leave, it is possible to request further parental leave, which is optional and can be performed by either parent, regardless of gender. Parental leave lasts up to four years, depending on individual preferences. Pension insurance
15015-499: The collection and distribution of public welfare. The seventh century caliph Umar implemented a form of zakat , one of the Five Pillars of Islam , as a codified universal social security tax. Traditionally estimated at 2.5% of an individual's assets, government zakat funds were distributed to various groups of Muslims, including impoverished people and those in severe debt. The collection of zakat increased during
15180-613: The colonial administration, in which the government was characterised by its vulnerability on social policy to influences from business and financial interests, as well as its unwillingness to increase taxation to finance such expenditure, Secretary for Financial Services and the treasury Professor K.C. Chan remarked " While adhering to the principles of fiscal prudence…the Government's spending has been far from conservative. Recurrent expenditure has increased from $ 150 billion in 1997-98 to more than $ 290 billion in 2013-14, an increase of nearly one-fold. The increase in recurrent expenditure reflects
15345-524: The complexity of the information and the Bureaucracy. Sometimes people need the help of other people to mediate their rights. In developing countries, formal social security arrangements are often absent for the vast majority of the working population, in part due to reliance on the informal economy . Additionally, the state's capacity to reach people may be limited because of its limited infrastructure and resources. In this context, social protection
15510-521: The date of application violated the right of freedom of movement in Article 31 of the Basic Law . The government appealed the ruling, but the Court of Appeal upheld the lower court's ruling and ruled against the government in February 2012. Then, in a 2013 case by a mainland Chinese woman whose husband had died soon after her arrival in Hong Kong, the Court of Final Appeal ruled that the seven-years' residence requirement violated Articles 36 and 145 of
15675-568: The date of death. The amount of the assessment is 10% of the average wage and the amount of the percentage assessment is 50% of the percentage of the old-age or disability pension to which the deceased was entitled at the time of their death. Danish welfare is handled by the state through a series of policies (and the like) that seeks to provide welfare services to citizens, hence the term welfare state. This refers not only to social benefits, but also tax-funded education, public child care, medical care, etc. A number of these services are not provided by
15840-616: The difficulties in governance, Tung reformed the structure of government substantially starting from his second term in 2002. In a system popularly called the Principal Officials Accountability system, all principal officials, including the Chief Secretary , Financial Secretary , Secretary for Justice and head of government bureaux would no longer be politically neutral career civil servants. Instead, they would all be political appointees chosen by
16005-679: The elderly' and set out strategies to provide a 'sense of security, a sense of belonging and a feeling of health and worthiness.' This included the establishment of the Mandatory Provident Fund and Carer's Support and Resource Centres as well as increasing the allowance under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance. In 1997 to 1998, the number of CSSA recipients increased from 282,623 to 368,623 with government expenditure increasing from HK$ 9.4 billion to HK$ 13.0 billion. A Steering Group
16170-478: The election of vice chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) of the PRC. On the night of 27 February 2005, it was revealed that he and nine other persons would be appointed as new members to the CPPCC. All the local newspapers, except for the three controlled by the PRC government, namely Ta Kung Pao , Wen Wei Po and Hong Kong Commercial Daily , went to the presses preemptively on
16335-422: The extreme inequality levels and the mass scale of poverty; locating a financial basis for programs; and deciding on exit strategies or on the long-term establishment of programs. The economic crisis of the 1980s led to a shift in social policies, as understandings of poverty and social programs evolved (24). New, mostly short-term programs emerged. These include: New Zealand is often regarded as having one of
16500-408: The fairness of our Chief Executive election and shows a callous disregard for the aspirations of most Hong Kong people to have free and fair elections without ignorant and insensitive interference." He was dubbed as "kingmaker" in the Hong Kong political community. In July 2017, Tung sold his family business Orient Overseas (International) Limited (OOIL) to Chinese state-owned Cosco Shipping in
16665-471: The family business after his father's death in 1981. Four years later, OOCL teetered on the edge of bankruptcy, and the business was saved by the People's Republic of China government through Henry Fok in 1986. He was appointed an unofficial member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong by the last British Governor Chris Patten in 1992 and was tipped as Beijing's favourite as the first Chief Executive of
16830-583: The family to Hong Kong. His father remained close to Chiang Kai-shek 's Kuomintang government on Taiwan , in which the logo OCCL has been plum blossom , the national flower of the Republic of China . In the 1950s, Tung attended the Chung Wah Middle School , a leftist school later shut down by the Hong Kong colonial government in the light of the 1967 Hong Kong riots . He was sent abroad to study at Liverpool University , leaving him with
16995-654: The family’s eligibility for assistance. In other words, the monthly income and expenses of all family members will be calculated together." That could give an extra edge to the solidarity between generation, or rather the opposite as it would create incentives for young people and elderly people to leave their family homes and live by themselves. Therefore, the idea of authorising elderly people to apply for CSSA on their own has been widely debated in recent years. It has been repeatedly suggested by multiple studies that saving accounts should be established for CSSA recipients who earn HK$ 4,200 per month or above. It would aim at encouraging
17160-425: The first and second child, €198 for the third and €223 for each child thereafter, until they attain 25 years or receive their first professional qualification), and basic provisions for those unable to work or anyone with an income below the poverty line. Since 2005, reception of full unemployment pay (60–67% of the previous net salary) has been restricted to 12 months in general and 18 months for those over 55. This
17325-403: The first comprehensive welfare systems in the world. During the 1890s, a Liberal government adopted many social programmes to help the poor who had suffered from a long economic depression in the 1880s. One of the most far reaching was the passing of tax legislation that made it difficult for wealthy sheep farmers to hold onto their large land holdings. This and the invention of refrigeration led to
17490-598: The first welfare systems for the working classes. In Great Britain the Liberal government of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and David Lloyd George introduced the National Insurance system in 1911, a system later expanded by Clement Attlee . Modern welfare states include Germany, France, the Netherlands, as well as the Nordic countries , such as Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland which employ
17655-612: The flop, EOC chairman to be added. Tung's cabinet suffered another blow in July 2004 when another Principal Official, the Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food, Dr. Yeoh Eng-kiong , resigned on 7 July to take political responsibility for the government's handling of the SARS outbreak in 2003, after the release of the investigation report of LegCo over the issue. In late 2004, the Tung administration experienced another embarrassment as
17820-646: The globe by massive funding into organisations abroad, for instance the China Studies department of the Johns Hopkins University 's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In 2018, the University of Texas at Austin rejected funding from the CUSEF for its recently established China Public Policy Center, after U.S. Senator Ted Cruz wrote a letter to UT Austin president Greg Fenves in which Cruz expressed his concerns that
17985-622: The government and chaired by the then Chief Secretary of Hong, Chief Secretary , Donald Tsang recommended in its report issued on 26 February 2003 that the seven-year's residence requirement should be introduced to restrict the new arrivals from mainland China to join the CSSA scheme. In January 2004, the Administration revised the residence requirement from one to seven years. Under the revised requirement, Hong Kong residents aged below 18 were exempted from any prior residence requirements. The Director of Social Welfare re-affirmed that adding
18150-450: The government budget accounted for 0.8% of the GDP whereas in 2002, it accounted for -4.8% of the GDP. CSSA budget was impacted from 1999 to 2002 as the number of CSSA recipients increased from 376,507 people to 466,868 people and in the meantime, CSSA expenditure as % of government expenditure only increased from 7.8% to 8.1%. This is a controversy concerning the procedure for applying for
18315-493: The government budget, and health insurance, which is financed through an array of insurance companies. Therefore, the social welfare program is usually separated into three categories: health insurance, social insurance and social benefits support. Social insurance is a type of statutory insurance that provides citizens for a future unforeseen social event, such as unemployment or disability that would prevent an individual from working, but also planned retirement. Social insurance
18480-504: The government restricted its role and stressed the role of family in social welfare. As emphasised in the first White Paper on Social Welfare published in 1965, strengthened family support was the government's imperative in assistance. The paper notes "however generous we may wish to be, we cannot ignore the dollars and cents...In this connexion, Government's endorsement of the Chinese tradition of self-help and of treating relief measures as
18645-399: The highest recorded percentage of 9.5% in 2005/6, CSSA expenditure has been declining each year (Figure 1). Firstly, the applicant must be a Hong Kong resident and has been of resident status for more than one year. As well, they need to have resided in Hong Kong for at least a year since acquirement of resident status. However, under some circumstances, some individuals may be exempted from
18810-462: The ill or otherwise disabled and for the old, has long been provided in Japan by both the government and private companies. Beginning in the 1920s, the government enacted a series of welfare programs, based mainly on European models, to provide medical care and financial support. During the postwar period, a comprehensive system of social security was gradually established. The 1980s marked a change in
18975-462: The imperative to maintain a balance budget has resulted a government response to cut services and reduce social welfare benefits. During the 1997 Asian financial crises , there was a tremendous increase in unemployment cases applying to CSSA, and at the time, was the only form of public measure and cash benefits available to aid the poor. Since 1997, Hong Kong has had budget deficits from 1998-99 to 2004-05. Financial deficits during these years restricted
19140-433: The initiative drew a hostile response from the pro-democratic camp, lawyers, journalists, religious leaders and human rights organisations. This stoked public concerns that the freedoms they enjoyed would deteriorate. The sentiment, together with other factors such as the SARS epidemic in early 2003, when the government was criticised for its slow response, strained hospital services and the unexpected death toll, resulted in
19305-598: The institutions and funds to properly handle such a crisis, both due to the structure of the social security system, and to the previously implemented structural adjustment policies (SAPs) that had decreased the size of the state. New Welfare programs have integrated the multidimensional, social risk management , and capabilities approaches into poverty alleviation. They focus on income transfers and service provisions while aiming to alleviate both long- and short-term poverty through, among other things, education, health, security, and housing. Unlike previous programs that targeted
19470-467: The insurance). It is calculated through a series of reductions of an assessment base. Employees' sickness insurance provides 4 types of sickness benefits: benefits for caring for a family member, pregnancy and maternity allowance, maternity allowance. It is standard to go on paid maternity leave in the Czech Republic, which ordinarily lasts 28 weeks. This period is prolonged to 37 weeks in the case of twins. Furthermore, there are special circumstances, such as
19635-429: The large planned sale of government-owned real estate, The Link REIT , was cancelled at the last moment by a lawsuit by a tenant from an affected estate. With the subsequent improvement in the economy over 2004, unemployment fell and the long period of deflation ended. This resulted in a decrease in public discontent as the government's popularity improved, and popular support for the democratic movement dwindled with
19800-479: The largest mass demonstration since the establishment of HKSAR, with an estimated 500,000 people (out of the population of 6,800,000) marching on 1 July 2003. Many demanded Tung to step down. In response to the protests, the leader of the Liberal Party, James Tien , resigned from the Executive Council on evening 6 July, signifying the withdrawal of the party's support for the bill implementing Article 23. As
19965-527: The last British Governor Chris Patten , the highest advisory body in the colonial government in 1992, before he left the office in 1996 and ran for the first Chief Executive election . Before the election, he received a warm handshake from Jiang Zemin who crossed a crowded room to single out Tung, which was seen as a sign of him being regarded as Beijing's choice for the Chief Executive. Tung employed three "isms" in his election campaign, namely Confucianism , elitism and nationalism . On 11 December 1996, he
20130-425: The last day of CPPCC annual meeting. His resignation sparked a constitutional debate of whether his successor should fill his remaining term of two years, or start a new term of five years. Tung was mostly chosen by the PRC due to his business background as well as owing Beijing for saving him from bankruptcy with a US$ 100 million loan. Soon after he resigned as Chief Executive, he was appointed vice-chairman of
20295-505: The leadership of the family enterprise. He took over his family business in 1982 when his father died. However, in 1985, his company was heavily in debt and teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. Henry Fok , a pro-Beijing businessman took initiative and helped Tung's family, with the support of the Beijing government. Tung became close to the Communist authorities in Beijing afterward especially with Jiang Zemin , former General Secretary of
20460-472: The lines of the corporatist -conservative model, or of its Mediterranean variant. Later, in the 1960s and 1970s, increases in public spending and a major focus on universality brought it on the same path as social-democratic systems. In 1978, a universalistic welfare model was introduced in Italy, offering a number of universal and free services such as a National Health Fund. Social welfare, assistance for
20625-556: The lines of the Western welfare states . At the end of 1993, there were 92,000 CSSA cases compared with 79,700 public assistance cases in the previous year and expenditure on the scheme was $ 2,073.8 million, an increase of 54.9% over the previous years. In 1995, there were 140,000 people (2% of the population) receiving benefits from this scheme. and they were mainly old people and people with illness or disabilities. Nevertheless, CSSA cases rose from 92,000 in 1993 to 195,645 in 1997 in which
20790-615: The membership of numerous leading tycoons. He remains influential in Hong Kong politics and is dubbed as "kingmaker". Tung was born in Xuhui District , Shanghai on 7 July 1937, 29th day of the fifth lunar month in 1937 in the Chinese calendar into an influential shipping magnate family of Tung Chao Yung . Tung Chao Yung was the founder of the Orient Overseas Container Line , a shipping company which
20955-553: The morning of 2 March with the headline "Tung Resigns". Tung declined to comment when questioned by journalists waiting at the government headquarters. On 10 March 2005, Tung assembled a press conference at the Central Government Offices and announced that he had tendered his resignation due to "health problems". After flying to Beijing on 11 March, Tung was elected Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on 12 March 2005,
21120-644: The most well known tycoons and public figures, drawn from the business, education, social welfare, legal and religious sectors, including former Financial Secretary Antony Leung , former Monetary Authority Chief Executive Joseph Yam , and Jack Ma , the chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba . The foundation has been vocal in advocating public policies, including the housing and land supply. In 2018, its proposal of massive reclamation by constructing artificial islands were partly adopted in Chief Executive Carrie Lam 's policy address . In
21285-434: The new unemployed cases were found increased significantly. The laissez-faire economic policy and the so-called " positive non-interventionism " are regarded two key cornerstones of Hong Kong's economic success in post-war decades. They continue to be the fundamental framework guiding state policy, and are a major obstacle to making major changes in the government's approach to launch new social policy initiatives. In addition,
21450-521: The out-of-pocket cost of hospitalisation as Philhealth's coverage usually does not cover the full expense. Other government agencies and companies also provide social welfare such as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office , Department of Health , and offices of house representatives in their respective congressional districts. Tung Chee-hwa Tung Chee-hwa GBM ( Chinese : 董建華 ; born 7 July 1937)
21615-541: The plight of low-income families in the coming years. From 1997 to 2003, the CSSA cases increased from 195,645 to 288,648 and the budget rose from $ 2.4 billion in 1993 to $ 9.4 billion in 1998 and to $ 16 billion in 2002 in order to compensate for the Asian Financial Crisis, arrivals of the mainland Chinese immigrants and the ageing population. From 1997-8 to 2003-4, expenditure on social welfare significantly increased from 1.6% to 2.7% of Hong Kong’s GDP. As
21780-536: The poor and slaves. From the 14th century onward, the governments of the Italian city-states began to partner with the church to provide welfare and education to the lower classes. In the 18th Century, according to one study, the Qing Dynasty had “the most elaborate relief system in world history, based on state and local granaries that were used in times of shortage to stabilize food prices and provide relief to
21945-593: The poor handling of the Link REIT listing, the West Kowloon cultural project , the Hung Hom flats episode. Tung himself denied it was a dressing-down, and insisted that he retained the central government's support, although he and the rest of the government were asked to examine their past inadequacies. Hu's words, however, were thinly veiled criticism. Nevertheless, in his January 2005 Policy Address, Tung gave
22110-554: The popular then Chief Secretary, Anson Chan . Tung's popularity plummeted with the economy, to 47% satisfaction at the end of August 2002. Tung Chee Hwa, with nominations from 714 members of the electoral college, was uncontested in the election for a second term, as according to the Chief Executive Election Ordinance, nominations from at least 100 members of the 800-strong electoral college are required for each candidate. In an attempt to resolve
22275-502: The possibility of setting up a casino in Hong Kong. His administration was seen as troubled, particularly during the confusion of the first days of the new airport , the mis-handling of the avian influenza epidemic, declining standards due to education reforms (specifically teaching in the Cantonese "mother tongue" and mandatory English examination for teachers), the right of abode issue , and his disagreement of political views with
22440-577: The pro-democratic camp resulted in his low approval ratings. In late 2003, in an attempt to bring back visitors to Hong Kong, Government agency InvestHK was mandated to sponsor the Harbour Fest music festival in October, organised by the American Chamber of Commerce. The result was a series of poorly attended concerts, HK$ 100m bill for the taxpayers, with the Government, InvestHK and the American Chamber of Commerce blaming each other for
22605-434: The recipients receive so as to prevent them from demanding for more assistance. It is however noted that sometimes extra assistance may be offered as a means to entertain the requests of the recipients, especially for the demanding ones. CSSA recipients have become more and more knowledgeable, allowing them to join hands with different parties, thus causing fear among caseworkers. Caseworkers would exercise discretion to speed up
22770-436: The regulations and code of ethics in SWD, especially when exercising discretionary power. It was however, mentioned in the HKCCSA study that rules are sometimes interpreted differently, in addition with ambiguous explanation on how to use discretionary power. Discretions are not unusual and could be done in various ways. Caseworkers will shorten the intake interview time, especially when they are busy. Some of them may question
22935-535: The residence requirement by the Director of Social Welfare. An applicant must pass an asset test and income test to be considered eligible for the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance. An individual's assets include the total value of their properties or land, cash, bank savings, investments in stocks and shares, and other recognised assets. These assets are not just limited to those in Hong Kong, but also in Macau ,
23100-523: The rise of the trade unions and the Labor parties during this period led to a movement for welfare reform. In 1900, the states of New South Wales and Victoria enacted legislation introducing non-contributory pensions for those aged 65 and over. Queensland legislated a similar system in 1907 before the Australian labor Commonwealth government led by Andrew Fisher introduced a national aged pension under
23265-462: The seven-year residence rule sought to reflect the contribution a resident has made towards the Hong Kong economy over a sustained period of time. Since coming into effect in 2004, CSSA expenditure still continued to rise, increasing from HK$ 17.6 billion in 2004/5 to HK$ 18.4 billion in 2013/14 when the Court of Final Appeal ruled the change in the eligibility criteria as unconstitutional and a violation of
23430-411: The state directly, but administered by municipalities, regions or private providers through outsourcing. This sometimes gives a source of tension between the state and municipalities, as there is not always consistency between the promises of welfare provided by the state (i.e. parliament) and local perception of what it would cost to fulfill these promises. Estonia does have a welfare state that provides
23595-466: The state hospitals, low-interest loans for peasants, state orphanages, free pharmacies for the poor, filled state granaries, fire stations and libraries in the large cities, retirement homes, public clinics, and paupers' graveyards. According to economist Robert Henry Nelson , "the medieval Roman Catholic Church operated a far-reaching and comprehensive welfare system for the poor ...". Ancient Greek city-states provided free medical services for
23760-518: The stock and property markets, combined with controversial economic policies (which were called crony capitalism at the time), the people of Hong Kong started to question Tung and the HKSAR government. During Tung's first term the government proposed a number of controversial infrastructure and reformation projects including technology park , a science park, a Chinese medicine centre and the Disney theme park . Tung's decisions were somewhat questioned by
23925-405: The structure of Latin American social protection programs. Social protection embraces three major areas: social insurance, financed by workers and employers; social assistance to the population's poorest, financed by the state; and labor market regulations to protect worker rights. Although diverse, recent Latin American social policy has tended to concentrate on social assistance. The 1980s, had
24090-458: The total number of CSSA recipients which amounted to 384,305 people. In 2014, 37% of CSSA recipients who were now eligible under the one year residence requirement were people aged under 18 years old; 58% of CSSA recipients living in Hong Kong for less than seven years were people aged between 18 and 59 years old; and 5% of those recipients were people of 60 years old or above. The defenders of one year residence requirement argued that this requirement
24255-507: The unemployed and families which exceeded the wages of low-end workers, unpaid voluntary work and terminate CSSA benefits with recipient refused job, re-assessment and strengthening of the arrangements to prevent fraud. At the end of 1997, it was reported that about 111,000 older persons, or 15% of those aged 65 and over, were beneficiaries of the scheme, with the total number of CSSA cases increasing almost four times more from 59,900 household cases in 1985 to 233,000 household cases in 1999. What
24420-534: The university's China Public Policy Center was considering a partnership with the foundation "given its affiliation with the People's Republic of China's United Front system and its registration as an agent of a foreign principal." Cruz also noted Tung's CPPCC vice chairmanship is "an organization which works closely with the United Front, the structure the CCP utilizes to manage foreign influence operations." During
24585-631: The urban and rural poor.” This system, however, was weakened after imperialism entered China following the 1840 Opium War and the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1860), which resulted in a crisis in the Qing Dynasty. Following the foundation of the Republic in 1912 and the following years of civil wars and warlordism, “the state granary system became almost non-existent.” Throughout the history of the Byzantine Empire, various social welfare services and institutions were established. Provision
24750-565: The voting conducted by 400 committees of electoral college whose members are appointed by the Chinese Government. The government pledged to focus on three policy areas: housing, the elderly, and education. Measures on housing included a pledge to provide 85,000 housing flats each year so as to resolve the problems of soaring property prices. The Asian financial crisis that hit Hong Kong in months after Tung took office made this objective almost immediately redundant and, in fact, it
24915-428: The working class, new programs have successfully focused on locating and targeting the very poorest. The impacts of social assistance programs vary between countries, and many programs have yet to be fully evaluated. According to Barrientos and Santibanez, the programs have been more successful in increasing investment in human capital than in bringing households above the poverty line. Challenges still exist, including
25080-483: The years. Together with the Social Allowance Scheme (today known as Social Security Allowance Scheme) introduced in 1973, they have been the major components of Hong Kong's social security system. Throughout the 1980s, the total spending on social welfare was between 4.5 and 6.5% of the government's budget and the social security spending was about 0.57% of the gross domestic product . As a result of
25245-630: The younger generations to help with their family living expenses as well as earning more money for themselves that would be well above HK$ 4,200 a month, hence making them ineligible for CSSA. Welfare Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance programs which provide support only to those who have previously contributed (e.g. pensions ), as opposed to social assistance programs which provide support on
25410-424: Was 10 years up until 1959, five years after that, and then just one year after 1970. In 2004, the Tung Chee-hwa administration extended that period to seven years, in response to the rising cost of CSSA payments to Mainland Chinese new immigrants in Hong Kong , though children under the age of 18 were exempt from this new requirement. At the same time, the Tung administration introduced an additional requirement that
25575-517: Was a collapse in property prices that became a far more pressing problem in the years between 1998 and 2002. After being appointed by the State Council of China , Tung took office on 1 July 1997. His first term was significantly – and negatively – impacted by the Asian financial crisis and there was criticism by the general public of his style of governance. Job losses and plummeting values in
25740-479: Was able to afford one of the best-developed and most comprehensive welfare systems in the world, supported by a well-developed and stable economy. Norway has a strong welfare state that provides a range of social services and financial assistance to its citizens. The Norwegian welfare state is based on the principles of social democracy, which means that it has a strong focus on reducing income inequality and promoting social cohesion. The Norwegian welfare state provides
25905-611: Was also made for the State to provide food and clothing for children that parents were unable to bring up due to indigence. In later Protestant European nations such as the Dutch Republic , welfare was managed by local guilds until the abolition of the guild system in the early 19th century. In the free imperial cities of the Holy Roman Empire , the city governments in cities like Nuremberg could take control of
26070-474: Was brought to the CFA. Here, the CFA unanimously declared that it was inconsistent with the Basic Law and the residence requirement was changed back to one year. Following the court decision, some experts like Ho Hei-wah, director of the Society for Community Organisation, thought that it would eventually lead to an increase of CSSA applications per year of approximately 6,000 new residents. In subsequent months,
26235-515: Was closely associated with the government of the Republic of China . His younger brother, Tung Chee-chen , was ranked as the 23rd wealthiest man in Hong Kong in 2009, worth US$ 900 million. In January 2008, Tung and his family were ranked (also by Forbes) as the 16th wealthiest in Hong Kong, with a total value of US$ 3 billion. In 1949 during the Chinese Communist Revolution , when Tung was 12 years old, Tung's father moved
26400-414: Was elected by a 400-member Selection Committee , receiving 320 votes and beating former judge Yang Ti-liang and tycoon Peter Woo , all three candidates were of Shanghainese descent. He was sworn in as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the day of transfer of sovereignty on 1 July 1997. In early 1997, Tung saw his victory in the first Chief Executive election, in
26565-426: Was lowered from 70 years old to 65. This sparked controversy as it would have singled out many elderly Hong Kong citizens that were supposed to be eligible for CSSA, but now cannot because of the raise of the age allowance. The Hong Kong government's explanation for such an amendment to the CSSA is because the Hong Kong population has improved on life expectancy; people in Hong Kong are living longer than before. CY Leung
26730-414: Was not the only one so that in the case of a shift from seven years to one year, the financial burden would not be that important. A question therefore arises of what drives the policy change of CSSA from a one-year residence requirement to a seven-year residence requirement. From 2000 to 2004, the Hong Kong government was running budget deficits and it required budget cuts from all social sectors. In 1999,
26895-434: Was originally because of Kong Yunming who arrived in Hong Kong from Mainland China in 2005 to rejoin her husband with a one-way permit. She stayed in her husband's public housing for the time being, but her husband passed away a few days after her arrival. The Housing Authority processed a housing exclusion, and she became homeless. Kong Yunming attempted twice to resort to law but her appeals were both dismissed until her case
27060-462: Was stated saying that he still "want[s] to encourage these CSSA recipients to work", implying that the CSSA is not a way to get out of employment. However, those that were within the ages of 60 to 65 at the time of the policy change will not be affected and will still be eligible to apply. Before 1 January 2004, any Hong Kong resident was eligible to apply for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) as long as they had been living in Hong Kong for
27225-431: Was subsequently set up with the membership of all civil servants with the Director of Social Welfare as the chair. The Steering Group concluded the 146% increase of CSSA cases from September 1993 to September 1998, three-fold growth of expenditure, attractions of the social security than the slow growth of wages and CSSA payments for a family of four or more were higher low-end wages. The Group recommended to slash benefits at
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