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Values Of A Welfare State In Hong Kong Literature Review

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2. What values does a welfare state seek to maximize? Explain what elements of the welfare state are present in either Hong Kong or China and which ones are missing.

Introduction
The term “welfare state” is developed in the 1930s and has been regarded as the opposite meaning of warfare at that time. The concept is interpreted in various ways in different countries due to cultural and socio-economic differences and different historical development (Esping-Andersen, 2013). A welfare state, generally speaking, refers to a state where the society takes responsibility for providing comprehensive welfare like social and economic security to its population (Spiker, 2014). Despites different interpretations of welfare state over time and across countries, the essential values that a welfare state seeks to pursue are expected to remain consistent. This paper aims at identifying values that a welfare state seeks to maximize through literature review. Furthermore, the paper will also review the historical development of welfare system in Hong Kong and find possible similarities between Hong Kong and a welfare state.

Definition and Values of the Welfare State
Asa Briggs (1961) defined the welfare …show more content…

Hong Kong people have valued the equality in opportunities very much as it is essentially important to those who are from lower-class families and weaker socio-economic background to succeed. The Equal Opportunities Commission in Hong Kong has played an important role promote social opportunities. The major approaches that have been adopted by the government to promote equal opportunities are reducing and eliminating discriminations and providing a range of universal statutory social services to its citizens. While in the contexts of welfare state, there is an emphasis on the role of welfare distribution in promoting equal social

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