The minimum livelihood guarantee (dibao) in the People’s Republic of China has been claimed to be the „world’s largest cash-based social policy.“ Examining the making of dibao policy in rural Sichuan, Christof Lammer wonders why researchers and officials justify standardization by citing both „too much“ and „not enough“ care at the „small“ scale of the family and asks what happens when dibao-related practices are evaluated as an appropriate („filial piety“), insufficient („individualism“) or excessive („corruption“) amount of family care.
You can find answers to these questions and reflections on care and scale in his new article published online in The China Quarterly!
Lammer, Christof. 2023. „Care Scales: Dibao Allowances, State and Family in China.“ The China Quarterly: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741023000309. [Open Access]
Ethnologie Chinas 