Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China
Since late 2013, one of China’s most controversial policies—the one-child policy—has been gradually phased out, culminating in the reorganization of the National Health and Family Planning Commission in early 2018, which saw it drop the family planning part from its name. Has China forgone populatio...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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2020
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/139594 |
| _version_ | 1826120849266049024 |
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| author | Alpermann, Björn Zhan, Shaohua |
| author2 | School of Social Sciences |
| author_facet | School of Social Sciences Alpermann, Björn Zhan, Shaohua |
| author_sort | Alpermann, Björn |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Since late 2013, one of China’s most controversial policies—the one-child policy—has been gradually phased out, culminating in the reorganization of the National Health and Family Planning Commission in early 2018, which saw it drop the family planning part from its name. Has China forgone population intervention and started to pursue a liberal population policy? This article demonstrates that the Chinese political leadership is still determined to steer the direction of future demographic developments, even though it changed course and has to employ new modes of steering. In fact, it has even elevated political steering of demographic developments to new heights under the rubric of ‘top-level design’ (dingceng sheji). This study takes a comparative look at the two ends of the life course, birth and old age, to reveal the continuity and change in population planning and policy discourses in China. In sum, this article finds that while the ‘one-child policy’ is gone for good, population planning in a broader understanding—including policies on birth, aging, migration, and urbanization—is alive and well and it will stay here for the foreseeable future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T05:23:11Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/139594 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T05:23:11Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1395942020-05-20T07:32:47Z Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China Alpermann, Björn Zhan, Shaohua School of Social Sciences Social sciences::Sociology::Family, marriage and women One-child Population Planning Since late 2013, one of China’s most controversial policies—the one-child policy—has been gradually phased out, culminating in the reorganization of the National Health and Family Planning Commission in early 2018, which saw it drop the family planning part from its name. Has China forgone population intervention and started to pursue a liberal population policy? This article demonstrates that the Chinese political leadership is still determined to steer the direction of future demographic developments, even though it changed course and has to employ new modes of steering. In fact, it has even elevated political steering of demographic developments to new heights under the rubric of ‘top-level design’ (dingceng sheji). This study takes a comparative look at the two ends of the life course, birth and old age, to reveal the continuity and change in population planning and policy discourses in China. In sum, this article finds that while the ‘one-child policy’ is gone for good, population planning in a broader understanding—including policies on birth, aging, migration, and urbanization—is alive and well and it will stay here for the foreseeable future. Accepted version 2020-05-20T07:32:47Z 2020-05-20T07:32:47Z 2019 Journal Article Alpermann, B., & Zhan, S. (2019). Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China. Journal of Contemporary China, 28(117), 348-366. doi:10.1080/10670564.2018.1542218 1067-0564 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/139594 10.1080/10670564.2018.1542218 2-s2.0-85056093750 117 28 348 366 en Journal of Contemporary China This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Contemporary China on 05 Nov 2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10670564.2018.1542218. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Social sciences::Sociology::Family, marriage and women One-child Population Planning Alpermann, Björn Zhan, Shaohua Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China |
| title | Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China |
| title_full | Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China |
| title_fullStr | Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China |
| title_short | Population planning after the one-child policy : shifting modes of political steering in China |
| title_sort | population planning after the one child policy shifting modes of political steering in china |
| topic | Social sciences::Sociology::Family, marriage and women One-child Population Planning |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/139594 |
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