Peace Programs

China Program Overview

What is the status of democracy in China?

What is the Carter Center's role in China?

What role is online dialogue playing in political reform?

Why is community building important in China?

Why is community building important in China?

China's economic reforms, while offering hope to millions and lifting the destitute out of poverty, also have created enormous social and economic dislocation in the country. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening, as the successes of new capitalist measures and the market economy, while responsible for China's economic boom, have not been evenly distributed. 

In the cities, old communities that were supported and maintained by state-owned enterprises collapsed following the privatization or bankruptcy of businesses.  Rural communities also have  undergone traumatic changes. Better-educated and younger rural residents, looking to capitalize on economic opportunities offered in urban areas, have left their homes in droves to serve as migrant workers in the cities. In their wake, migrant workers have left behind badly broken rural communities made up of the elderly and the very young.

At the same time, those who have left their rural homes to seek better opportunities in the cities often encounter unspeakable hardships. Due to the Chinese state structure and an archaic registration system, migrant workers do not have access to health care and other welfare provisions given to native urban residents.  As second-class citizens, the migrant worker population is increasingly volatile and angry.

These and other economically dislocated groups are becoming upset over unfair and unequal conditions in China. Unfortunately, with a population of 1.3 billion, the government has very few tools to combat the social unrest caused by such severe socioeconomic imbalances.

The China Program is working with various government and nongovernmental partners to help promote rural community building and to design and test better ways for urban communities to integrate various social groups, including migrant workers.

Community building shifts the focus from government responsibility to civic responsibility. Cultivating a sense of self-ownership and volunteerism at the local level, community building empowers ordinary citizens to volunteer in their communities and become proactive in providing public oversight to government affairs.  In this way, communities can mobilize in constructive ways, stand up for their interests, and learn about their individual rights as citizens.

 

 

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