经济转型与城市贫困人口生活状况的变化

How Does Economic Restructuring Impact the Life of the Urban Poor

文章通过对2002年哈尔滨市南岗区的抽样调查数据分析表明,在城市贫困人口中,有1/3来自经济转型之前,2/3是经济转型过程中剥离出来的相对素质较低的劳动力人口。从1990到2000年这段时间里,城市贫困人口中的大多数都感到自己的生活水平在下降,尤其是下岗的工人、服务人员和干部的感受最为强烈,而那些一直没有工作的贫困人口大都认为自己的生活水平没有变化或有所上升。这种感受一方面是由于下岗或失业的确造成了目前的贫困人口绝对生活水平的降低,另一方面,这种感受也受到生活水平的相对差距的影响。2000年以后,随着低保政策的大面积实施,城市贫困人口生活水平降低的势头得到了有效控制。

Results from a survey of Harbin, northeast China show that among the urban poor, one third were poor even before the economic transformation began, while two thirds have been separated from the labor force due to their relatively disadvantage in job maintaining. Most of the urban poor feel that their living standard declined from 1990 to 2000. Those who were laid-off from manufactures, service sector and even from their previous cadres' position feel most strongly this decline, while those who have never been in the labor force feels little difference in their living standard. The feelings of declining living standard come partly from actual decrease in income because of being unemployed, and partly from the relative deprivation. Since 2000, with the increased coverage of minimum living guarantee program, the declining trend of living standard among the urban poor has been effectively checked.