Series of talks on "Learning Thoughts, Strengthening Party Spirit, Emphasizing Practice, and Building New Merits"
Recently, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Developing a Silver Economy to Improve the Welfare of the Elderly" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions") to gather public opinion and its implications are profound. According to the classification standards of the United Nations, it is expected that by 2025, our country will enter a moderately aging society. It is expected that by 2035, my country will become a severely aging society. This is bound to have a lasting and far-reaching impact on economic and social development. At present, the scale of my country's silver economy is about 7 trillion yuan, accounting for about 6% of GDP. According to a report by Fudan University's Institute on Aging, my country's silver economy still has a growth potential of about 3 to 4 times in the next ten years.
Based on the analysis of Chinese philosophy and economic ethics, one of the core contents of traditional ethics, outlook on life and values is to have a sense of support, support, happiness and security in old age. How to take advantage of the situation, turn crises into opportunities, and cultivate a silver economy as a new pillar to promote high-quality economic development in our country should be an important option for the future.
Actively respond to the aging trend
In the early 1970s, the famous American sociologist Daniel Bell published research results on demographic, economic and social transformation, claiming that developed countries had entered a "post-industrial society." In the new social form, the aging of the population is becoming increasingly severe, automated robots have replaced blue-collar workers, the service economy has become dominant, and the information and knowledge-based economy has become the source of growth and a pillar industry. Half a century later, the prediction has become a reality. Once upon a time, European countries experienced a surge in immigration due to declining birth rates and deepening aging. Many years later, Japan and the "Four Little Dragons" of East Asia, which entered the ranks of wealthy countries or regions, followed suit. Only the sparse land and dense population and strict policies have saved the country from the influx of immigrants. The "Four Little Dragons" in East Asia are limited by poor economic prospects and weak economic prospects.
Living standards have improved, the birth rate has declined, the aging population has increased, society has lost vitality, and there is almost a trend of crossing the middle-income level and entering a wealthy country. Now, as China's aging population begins to show signs of aging, the government is taking precautions, conducting careful research, taking precautions before they occur, and implementing smart policies. In response to the serious situation of population aging, the "Opinions", as my country's first policy document named after the "Silver Economy", proposes 26 measures, demonstrating the government's emphasis on aging. Putting these measures together, it can be said that four measures are taken simultaneously.
First, people's livelihood is the priority, and we can solve the urgent needs and worries of the elderly. For example, meal assistance for the elderly, home care, community convenience, health care, entertainment and sports, and rural elderly care. The second is to expand quantity and improve quality, and "government, enterprises and society" will work together to promote the rapid development of the silver hair industry. Government support, demonstration by state-owned enterprises, and participation of private enterprises; establishing industry regulations, establishing standards, establishing brands, expanding scale, cultivating leaders, expanding channels, and gathering industries; it is planned to be implemented in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Chengdu-Chongqing and other regions. Plan to lay out about 10 high-level silver economy industrial parks to expand consumption and promote the silver economy across regions to benefit society. The third is to cultivate deeply and carefully to tap the industrial potential. The focus is on five market segments: innovation of elderly products, deep development of medical care, considerate finance for the elderly, culture and tourism to cultivate life, and smooth public transportation for the elderly. If it can complete overtaking in corners like the new energy automobile industry, then the silver economy will have great potential and realize the transformation from traditional industries to sunrise industries. The fourth is to strengthen factor protection and optimize the environment for the development of the silver economy. Strengthen fiscal and financial support, assist with technological innovation, guarantee service facilities, and block elder-related fraud.
Expanding new space for the silver economy
The silver economy is the only way to transform the industrial economy into a service economy. Judging from the experience of developed countries in dealing with aging, there are three things that need to be done. First, the government must build a solid social welfare network in terms of medical care, pension security, and family responsibilities. The main means are through fiscal expenditures and policy preferences. After World War II, in order to narrow the gap between rich and poor and solve the problem of aging, the United Kingdom established a national health system (NHS) based on the "Beveridge Report" and promoted the reform of the pension system. The results were remarkable, and other countries followed suit. The second is to establish a sound community mutual aid system. Germany, which practices a social market economy, has promoted the cooperation of the government, enterprises and communities in terms of employment, elderly care and medical care, which has played an important role in promoting economic prosperity and social stability. The third is to improve the hierarchical and classified social assistance system and build a social security safety net for widows, widowers, lonely people, the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled.
Due to historical and practical reasons, our country's national conditions are very different. The experiences of other countries can only be used for reference and cannot be imitated blindly. For example, in terms of fiscal expenditures and transfer payments to solve the aging problem, due to the large differences between regions and groups in our country, we cannot simply copy the experience of developed countries. Looking at my country's aging population structure, there are some groups worthy of study. The first category is the low-income elderly population in rural and urban areas, which is large in number and covers a wide area. It is suitable for government-led public services to be paired with market-oriented life services, focusing on solving problems such as livelihood, health care, culture and entertainment. The other category is the urban middle class, which, as the main consumers of the silver economy, has the greatest potential. It is necessary for the government and the market to work together, using technology and innovation as tools to tap new sources of material and spiritual consumption. In addition, for groups with strong spending power, it is necessary to provide fashionable and high-quality services driven by marketization to lead the new trend of aging consumption.
To develop the silver economy, technological empowerment should be used as a means. Digital technology is becoming increasingly popular in the silver economy and has broad prospects. With the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, embedded scene applications are increasingly deepened, and the services provided to the elderly population are more convenient, efficient, comfortable and intelligent.
(The author Xu Jinghua is a professor at the School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University)
Guangzhou Daily