Lixian Qian

Introduction to Fair Development in China

In this chapter, we provide a brief explanation on the motivation of this book and an overview of its structure. China is the second biggest economy in the world and has significant needs to transform its mechanisms of economic growth and social development. It is a crucial mission for China to achieve sustainable innovation and fair development, which can impact China at the individual, firm, and society levels, as well as other countries. This book consists of 15 peer-reviewed chapters divided into six different parts (including overview, individual and social perspective, organizational perspective, government perspective, international perspective, and conclusion). This book is edited to collectively present a wide range of views and opinions from active researchers in different disciplines on current challenges and proposed solutions to promote fair development in China.

Fairness in the Chinese People’s Lives: Challenges and Policy Suggestions

Despite massive economic growth over the past three decades, China continues to face significant challenges associated with economic and societal development, many of which relate to increasing fairness. From the perspective of fair development, I provide an overview of fairness challenges related to Chinese citizens’ everyday lives and suggestions in which policymakers can promote fairness. Specifically, I focus on three major areas—education, healthcare, and elderly care—which are sometimes called the “three new mountains” that Chinese citizens are currently struggling to climb. Based on an analysis of selected proposals from the national plenary sessions of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held between 2010 and 2015, I describe current fairness-related issues in education, healthcare, and elderly care in China and summarize policy proposals from CPPCC members aimed at promoting fairness.