State, Family And Market: A Study On The Employment Of Urban Minmum Living Standard Assistance Recipicents

"Urban-Poor"has become a problem of most countries for years,and it has always been a popular research topic. In China,a large number of worker layoffs appear alongside of the reform of both economic structure and state-owned enterprises in twentieth century after 90 years. Poverty caused by unemployed is a characteristic feature in urban-China. Then,anti-poverty strategies turn up and bring achievements. But there are also some drawbacks,such as a low quit-rate,perpetual poverty. Meanwhile most urban-poor are in their working age. Why such people live with pensions and suffer employment problems? This paper aims to find reasonable interpretations.Base on "Welfare Triangle" theory,this study discussed employment mechanism of urban-poor living with social relief funds. This paper first reviews the theoretical and empirical literature aiming at poverty, social assistance and employment. Then the "Welfare Triangle" framework for the urban-poor in working has been initially established and the empirical research started. The main methods of analysis contain correlation analysis,binary logistic regression,and some other empirical methods.Three main steps are required. First step is making a primary describe about employment of urban-poor. Second,selective analysis about the effects of family,state and the urban-poor's human capital on employment. Finally, a induction of behavioral logic about urban-poor employment.The conclusions are as follows:1. The state of employment is bad in three regions.First,there is a low employment ratio that most urban-poor don't have job. Second, the quality of work is not well. Most of them work in the secondary labor market as manual labor without working protection. The third, inadequate working motives.2.Family failure in employment.(1)Family care is in a tax.Family with the old,patients would reduce the chance of going out of work. However,if their children are still at school,especially at high school or post-high school,the urban-poor would more positively to do jobs. Meanwhile,different marital status and gender means different liabilities in family. People who have married are more likely to have jobs,especially single mother or single father.In addition, man do more in labor market and women do more in housework and family care.(2) Family social capital fails.Moreover, quality of family social capital is more important than quantity in finding jobs. A key figure is required but also is scarcity in poor family. Minus welfare in family is the unfortunate fact that family not only fail in support people to get a job but also confine in finding a job.3.Direct interference in government welfare supply.Cash assistance is the main body of social assistance. Whatever the amount of cash assistance, the proportion of subsistence allowances in total social assistance,and the duration of social assistance,there is no close contact with employment. People with social assistance would neither negative nor active in working.Direct interference is also the significant figure in job support. Directly give jobs acts well in urban-poor employment but should pay attention on policy alienation. Meanwhile,policies for improving one's working ability do not run well.4.The inadequacy of human capital confines urban-poor's employment.In the secondary labor market,as manual labor holds most, health capital plays more important role in getting a job and regular education sames non-essential. But taking on enhanced skills can significantly help urban-poor to get a job.Above all,a basic conclusion is that current situation is negative in improving total welfare. Urban-poor family always exist in perpetual poverty and would be no hope to escape from such difficult situation. Although go to work is the appropriate way for those urban-poor in working age. But employment is not an isolated act but is related to family conditions and government acts. Consequently, to promoting employment of urban-poor,should also do some good job on family care,family social capital growth,and reform of government policy about social assistance and job support.We have three courses of action to take.First,re-establish the home.Family care and family social capital growth should be the two key domains.Second,welfare provided by the government should change from social assistance to job-support,from cash assistance to service support,from direct job supply to skills upgrade.Finally,social factors should be considered and the government need decentralize some of its functions to NPO gradually.