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Changes in Elderly Care Responsibility Subjects and Dilemmas of Rural Elderly Care in China

Author(s)

Pang Ran*

Affiliation(s)

School of Political Science and Law, University of Jinan, Shandong, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

This article systematically reviews the evolution of rural elderly care responsibilities, from the absolute dominance of the family in traditional society, to the brief "collective-family" dual sharing during the collectivization period, and then to the return and reinforcement of family responsibilities after the Reform and Opening-up, up to the return of state responsibility and the preliminary emergence of market and social forces in the new century. The article reveals the current threefold dilemma facing rural elderly care: "limited state capacity, weakened family functions, and underdeveloped market." Finally, the article constructively proposes that establishing a new pattern of multi-party collaborative responsibility characterized by "state leadership, family support, and market participation" is the path to addressing the challenges posed by rural aging and achieving the grand goal of "care for the elderly" under the rural revitalization strategy.

Keywords

Rural Elderly Care; Responsibility Subject; Institutional Change; Family Elderly Care; State Governance

References

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