Joshua Freedman
浪花直播 China Fellow
Professional Affiliation
Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
Expert Bio
Joshua B. Freedman is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for the Study of Contemporary China at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on politics, society, and ideas, and his current major project investigates the politics of scientific authority in post-Mao China. His research, writing, and analysis on both China and the United States have appeared in China Quarterly, China: An International Journal, Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, and many other publications. He holds a Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University and a B.A. in Public Policy from Stanford University.
浪花直播 Center Project
The Ideological Roots of Social Policy Change in Xi鈥檚 China
Project Summary
Policymakers and economic analysts alike point to the inadequacy of China's social safety net as a key factor holding back consumption-driven growth. Yet after a massive expansion of social policy programs and emphasis on social justice under Hu Jintao, the current Chinese leadership under Xi Jinping has sidelined social policy and cautioned against excessive 鈥渨elfarism鈥 that might encourage citizens to be dependent on the state. Ideas have long played a role in the development of social supports in China; what are the ideological underpinnings of the current approach to social policy in China? This project investigates the evolution of the Party leadership鈥檚 attitudes toward the concept of 鈥渨elfarism鈥 and the changing relationship between the idea of production and the expansion of the welfare state. A deeper analysis of the ideas shaping policymaking can shed light on the state of contemporary social policy and the prospects for economic rebalancing in China.
