社会救助数字化转型中的技术进步与价值重塑

Technological Advancements and Value Reshaping in the Digital Transformation of Social Assistance

社会救助作为社会保障体系中的兜底性和基础性制度安排,发挥着保障基本民生、促进社会公平和维护社会稳定的重要作用。然而,社会救助实践却过度追求数字技术赋能社会救助的工具性目标,而忽视了社会救助制度的价值性目标。有鉴于此,亟需厘清数字技术赋能社会救助的优势与局限,并找到在数字化转型过程中提升社会救助“温度”的现实路径。本研究认为:数字技术赋能社会救助应实现“有为”和“有情”的共融与平衡,数字技术既能为提升社会救助的精准度提供技术支持,又能促进“以人民为中心的发展观”的有效落地;数字技术赋能社会救助虽可实现精准救助、高效救助和智慧救助,但也面临救助资源和救助需求匹配偏差、信息共享不充分、基层执行者数字负担重和诱发目标群体数字不平等的局限;为找回数字技术赋能社会救助的“温度”,应该在数字化转型中促进选择权、体验感和获得感的回归。

As a safety-net and fundamental component of the social security system,social assistance plays a critical role in safeguarding basic livelihoods,promoting social fairness,and maintaining social stability.However,in practice,the digital transformation of social assistance often overemphasizes the instrumental goals of digital technology empowerment while neglecting the intrinsic,value-oriented objectives of the system.It is therefore crucial to clarify the strengths and limitations of digital technology in empowering social assistance and to explore effective pathways for enhancing the human-centric warmth of social assistance during its digital transformation.This study argues that the integration and balance of"eff ectiveness"and"empathy"should be the guiding principles for digital technology's role in social assistance.While digital technology supports enhanced precision,effi ciency,and intelligence in social assistance,it also facilitates the realization of a people-centered development philosophy.Nevertheless,its limitations—including misalignment with beneficiaries'needs,insufficient information sharing,increased digital burdens on grassroots implementers,and digital inequality faced by target groups—cannot be overlooked.To restore the"human touch"in digitally empowered social assistance,it is imperative to prioritize choice,user experience,and benefi ciaries'sense of gain throughout the transformation process.