Contents

Ⅰ　General Report
1　China’s Society is Stepping into a New Stage of the Promotion of Quality-oriented Social
　　Development
　　—Analysis and Forecast of China’s Social Development, 2014-2015
　　　【Research Group on the “Analysis and Forecast of Social Development”，CASS
　　　Chen Guangjin】／001
Abstract: During 2014, with continuing re-adjustment of employment structure, the development quality has been promoted and the employment situation has kept an upward trend. Income level for both urban and rural residents continues to rise, and the income distribution begins to shift in favor of working class. Price for daily necessities stays at a relatively stable condition, and the consumption level demonstrates an accelerating tendency which boosts economic development in great extent. Social security system has been improved with better social insurance and assistance level. Government public finance further tilts towards social development and people’s wellbeing. The scope and amount of civil social participation keep rising. At the same time, economic and social development still faces various difficulties and challenges, which requires effort from all social sectors to find solutions. Through this way, social development with high quality will be insured.
Keywords: New Normal Phase of Economic Development；Structural Adjustment；Quality-oriented Development；Society with Rule of law

Ⅱ　Reports on Social Development
2　The Development of Employment Situation Under the New Normal Phase
　　【Mo Rong, Chen Yun】／020
Abstract: In 2014, China’s labor market maintains at a stable situation throughout the year, and substantial employment opportunities are created. For the first three quarters, a total of 10.82 million urban jobs were created, which already accomplished the annual target of 10 million set at the beginning of the year. The urban registered unemployment rate still maintains at a low level of 4.07%, which is below the 4.6% control level. In recent years, behind the stable employment situation, the fundamental condition of employment development keeps changing. The key problem of employment situation has transformed from total amount shortage to the coexistence of both total amount shortage and structural insufficiency, where the latter becomes more significant. During the process of industrial transformation, the new normal phase of economic development has posed serious challenge to employment and provided opportunities at the same time. Therefore, government should have a better understanding of the new normal phase and provide timely solutions and policies.
Keywords: New Normal Phase；Employment；Total Amount Insufficiency；Structural Insufficiency

3　Income and Consumption Conditions of the Urban and Rural Residents in China, 2014
　　【Lyu Qingzhe】／039
Abstract: This paper analyzes the overall income and consumption in urban and rural China in 2014, and forecasts the trend of residents’ income and consumption in the future. In 2014, income level continues to increase steadily across both urban and rural residents. Meanwhile, residents’ consumption demonstrates an upward trend, with the stabilization of the consumption structure. However, admittedly, there are many factors which have negative effect and become obstacles to boost domestic consumption. For example, the lack of long-term mechanism of income increment, the insufficiency of consumption, the gap between urban and rural residents in consumption level, the low percentage of rural consumption, and the downward trend of housing price with decreasing demand for related commodities, all pose negative effect on the income and consumption structure. For the next year, the economic growth rate will remain at about 7%, and the total retail sales of consumer goods will increase about 10.0%.
Keywords: Income of Residents；Consumption of Residents；Quality of Life

4　Analysis on Income Distribution and Future Trend in China【Yang Yiyong, Chi Zhenhe】／052
Abstract: China’s income inequality has reduced at a lower pace in 2013, which is primarily caused by slowing rate of the decreasing urban residents’ income inequality and widening rural residents’ income inequality. This phenomenon can be attributed to lower growth rates of the low income households in both urban and rural areas. The wage reform for managers in the state-owned firms and the government’s anti-corruption campaign will make the expansion of high income households and the increase rate of per capita income of the urban residents decelerating, which will keep the income inequality of urban residents and the per capita income gap between urban and rural residents at a downward trend. The decreasing agricultural product price causing by slowing economic growth will lower income growth rate for the low income households in rural area, which will cause the raising of the income inequality in rural area. In one word, the income inequality will decline in China, which is determined by the decreasing income inequality among urban residents and the narrowing gap of per capita income between urban and rural residents.
Keywords: Income Inequality; Economic Structure;Income Gap

5　2014: Taking New Steps for Deepening Comprehensive Reform in the Field of Education
　　【Wang Jian】／066
Abstract: The year of 2014 is a critical year for the implementation of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and the launch of comprehensively deepening reforms strategy. Regarding education system reform, it covers many areas which are closely related to every person’s interests, and receive extensive attention from society. Therefore, the reform agenda should set the general public and all teachers and students’ expectation as the starting point, and directly deal with problems which hinder the promotion of education equity and quality. A series of policies and measures for deepening comprehensive reform in the field of education have been taken this year, mainly including regulating admission avenues from primary schools to secondary school, constructing modern vocational educational system, reforming and improving examination and enrollment system and so on.
The key point is to mobilize both central and local governments, and both public and private sectors to collaborate in terms of enhancing education priority and promoting education equality, and make sure that enough space be reserved for local governments to adjust measures to local conditions at the same time.
Keywords: Education Policy；Comprehensive Reform；Hotspot Issues；Perspective of Future Reform

6　Medical and Healthcare Reform and Development, 2014【Fang Lijie】／083
Abstract: In 2014, China’s new healthcare reform has entered its sixth year. The total amount of public health resource and service keeps rising, and the amount of government spending continues to increase, where individual medical expenditure decreases in the total medical expenditure. However, medical spending is not fully under control. Privately owned hospitals experienced fast expanding, but resources and service at the grassroots level are still lower than expectation. The central issue of medical and health reform is public hospitals reform. Currently, public hospitals reform is at its tentative and experimental stage. And most reform plan is carried out at local level without a national framework. The collaboration of three areas—medical treatment, medicine, medical insurance—has led to the integration of medical insurance system and public hospitals reform. However, at the current stage, in order to meet the complexity of the whole medical system, it is necessary to make new progress in medicine pricing, medical service pricing in public hospitals, and medical insurance to implement the initial goal of medical reform for both sub-system reform and the overall reform agenda.
Keywords: New Medical and Healthcare Reform；Public Hospital Reform；Level-based Medical Service

7　The Advancement of Social Security System, Challenge and Perspective【Long Yuqi】／100
Abstract: The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee has deployed new strategy for China’s social security reform, and set the aim of future development. In recent years, China has promoted reform on social security system, and made significant progress on the integration of the old-age pension system for both urban and rural residents. Supplementary security system received more attention and the capacity of social welfare service for the old-age support has been gradually established. Legal framework has improved the implementation of social assistance system, and government has taken more action on promoting government-sponsored welfare housing. However, admittedly, there are many issues and problems during the process of social security reform. The equality and efficiency of social security system has not reached its balance point, which calls for future reform plan. Therefore, it is important to combine equality and efficiency, and integrate government and market, through which the social security system will be improved to a new stage to realize social equality and sustainable development.
Keywords: Social Security System Reform；Progress；Equality；Efficiency

Ⅲ　Reports on Social Survey
8　The Value Standard of “A Good Society” among the General Public【Li Wei】／117
Abstract: Based on Chinese Social Survey（CSS 2013）, this paper studies the value standard of “A Good Society” among the general public and individual’s social identity recognition. The paper finds that although the general public has established social consensus upon the core social value structure, there still exists divergence and inconsistency among government, the general public, and different social groups. The core social value structure can be categorized into common consensus, elite ideology, and ideology of social bottom group, each of which acknowledges certain belief and value. The advocacy of core social value and the modernization of social governance will both promote social cohesion and pose political pressure.
Keywords: Core Social Value；Value Acknowledgment；Social Evaluation；Social Governance

9　Report on 2014 Survey on Quality of Life for Chinese Residents
　　【Victor Yuan, Zhang Hui and Jiang Jianjian】／132