The 67th Xi Xian Forum, sponsored by the Center for International Cooperation and Disciplinary Innovation of Income Distribution and Public Finance at the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and the university's School of Public Finance and Taxation, was successfully held on December 17, 2024, in Wenqin Building's Conference Room 119. Professor Gao Herong from Xiamen University served as the keynote speaker for this academic forum, delivering a keynote speech titled "The Role and Pathways of Social Security in Promoting Common Prosperity." The forum was moderated by Yu Changyong, a researcher at the Center for International Cooperation and Disciplinary Innovation of Income Distribution and Public Finance, and attended by over 10 participants, including Professor Lyu Guoying from the School of Public Administration and the researcher Lin Jiada from the Center.
Professor Gao Herong began by emphasizing the critical role of social security in achieving common prosperity. He noted that the concept of social security has deep roots in ancient Chinese philosophy, as articulated by Confucius, highlighting the inherent connection between social security and common prosperity. He asserted that an effective social security system must comprehensively cover all aspects of people's livelihoods, not only addressing basic needs, alleviating the fear of poverty, and managing risks but also adjusting income disparities through redistribution mechanisms, lowering the Gini coefficient, and promoting social equity. To illustrate his points, Professor Gao highlighted the significant disparities in pension income between urban and rural areas, revealing the negative impact of these differences on the equity of social security.
When discussing social security issues in the context of the platform economy, Professor Gao Herong specifically pointed out that the emergence of new forms of employment has led to inadequate social security coverage for platform workers, rendering them "marginalized" within the social security system. He suggested implementing automatic deductions from platform workers' earnings to buy them commercial insurance, thereby enhancing their social security status. Additionally, he highlighted that disparities in social security systems have resulted in significant differences in rights and benefits between salaried workers and other social groups. He further emphasized that addressing these issues requires reforms at multiple levels, including institutional design and policy implementation.
In his conclusion, Professor Gao Herong emphasized that the improvement of the social security system is crucial for achieving common prosperity. He called for collective efforts from all sectors of society to drive the reform and development of social security systems, aiming to establish a more equitable and sustainable social security framework.
Professor Gao Herong delivered an insightful presentation that not only captivated the attending faculty and students but also sparked profound discussions on social security and common prosperity. During the discussion segment, participants actively engaged in dialogue, exchanging views on various topics such as multi-tiered pension insurance and personal pension schemes.
Guest Profile
Professor Gao Herong is currently the Director of the Publicity Department of Xiamen University, Nanqiang Key Position Professor of Xiamen University, winner of special government allowances from the State Council, New Century Excellent Talent of the Ministry of Education, and Outstanding Teacher of Baosteel. He also serves as Deputy Director of the Teaching Steering Committee of the China Association of Social Security, Chairman of the Specialized Committee on Social Welfare Research of the Chinese Sociological Association, and Chairman of the Specialized Committee on Social Security and Social Development of the Chinese Sociological Association. His primary research interests include social security, social policy, and Taiwan's social welfare. He has led several major projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, the major projects of the Ministry of Education in philosophy and social science research, and various key and general projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China. In addition, he has authored multiple publications with the China Social Sciences Press and has published over 110 papers in CSSCI core journals, of which more than 10 have been fully reprinted by Xinhua Digest (including its online platform) and nearly 20 have been fully reprinted by China Social Science Excellence and China University Academic Abstracts. He has also been awarded the First Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Philosophy and Social Sciences by Fujian Province twice and the Second Prize once.