The extent of adequacies of poverty alleviation strategies: Hong Kong and China perspectives

The main concern of the present paper is to examine the adequacies of the urban poverty alleviation strategies of the Hong Kong and China governments. It has been found that the Comprehensive Social Security Allowance and the Minimum Living Standard Scheme or Dibao are the main strategies adopted by both the governments towards alleviation of urban poverty. The available data substantiates that the Comprehensive Social Security Allowance is targeted to solve immediate concrete social problems in the short term instead of solving the long-term poverty problem. More specifically, the welfare policy is designed to alleviate the political pressures and social conflicts and is a tool to avoid social confusion. On the other hand, Dibao reflects the state's general economic orientation, which has emphasized rapid growth and neglected effective redistribution measures. At best, Dibao is likely to provide short-term relief from urban poverty and inequality, rather than make a significant impact on poverty reduction.