IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v9y2017i4p658-d96391.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social Sustainability in an Ageing Chinese Society: Towards an Integrative Conceptual Framework

Author

Listed:
  • Yafei Liu

    (Department of Human Geography and Planning, Utrecht University, 3584CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Martin Dijst

    (Department of Human Geography and Planning, Utrecht University, 3584CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Stan Geertman

    (Department of Human Geography and Planning, Utrecht University, 3584CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Can Cui

    (The Center for Modern Chinese City Studies, School of Urban and Regional Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China)

Abstract

Social sustainability is a relatively underexposed dimension of the sustainability debate. Diversified and discipline-specific study perspectives and the lack of contextualization make it difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of social sustainability in non-Western societies. In examining the problems facing a rapidly ageing Chinese society, this paper aims to construct an integrative conceptual framework of social sustainability, taking into account the Chinese contextual interpretations and elderly population in particular. This paper proposes an integrative conceptual framework composed of two key contextualized components: well-being and social justice. Well-being, according to Lindenberg, is the ultimate goal of life and is achieved by relevant themes organized in a hierarchical system. Social justice relating to the equal distribution of resources, opportunities, and rights is also significant for the achievement of well-being. Interpretations of social sustainability are explored within Chinese socio-cultural (Confucianism, collectivism), institutional (welfare regime, hukou system), and demographic (population ageing) contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Yafei Liu & Martin Dijst & Stan Geertman & Can Cui, 2017. "Social Sustainability in an Ageing Chinese Society: Towards an Integrative Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-15, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:4:p:658-:d:96391
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/4/658/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/4/658/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Malcolm Warner & Chris Rowley, 2010. "Chinese management at the crossroads: setting the scene," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(3), pages 273-284, July.
    2. Weiping Wu, 2004. "Sources of Migrant Housing Disadvantage in Urban China," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 36(7), pages 1285-1304, July.
    3. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    4. Meg Holden, 2012. "Urban Policy Engagement with Social Sustainability in Metro Vancouver," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 49(3), pages 527-542, February.
    5. Ed Diener & Eunkook Suh, 1997. "Measuring Quality Of Life: Economic, Social, And Subjective Indicators," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 189-216, January.
    6. Des Gasper, 2005. "Subjective and Objective Well-Being in Relation to Economic Inputs: Puzzles and Responses," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 63(2), pages 177-206.
    7. John R. Logan & Yiping Fang & Zhanxin Zhang, 2009. "Access to Housing in Urban China," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 914-935, December.
    8. Liu, Zhiqiang, 2005. "Institution and inequality: the hukou system in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 133-157, March.
    9. Youqin Huang & Leiwen Jiang, 2009. "Housing Inequality in Transitional Beijing," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 936-956, December.
    10. Ettema, Dick & Gärling, Tommy & Olsson, Lars E. & Friman, Margareta, 2010. "Out-of-home activities, daily travel, and subjective well-being," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 44(9), pages 723-732, November.
    11. Mentzakis, Emmanouil & Moro, Mirko, 2009. "The poor, the rich and the happy: Exploring the link between income and subjective well-being," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 147-158, January.
    12. Seema Dave, 2011. "Neighbourhood density and social sustainability in cities of developing countries," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(3), pages 189-205, May/June.
    13. Efrat Eizenberg & Yosef Jabareen, 2017. "Social Sustainability: A New Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, January.
    14. Sheung-Tak Cheng & Alfred C. M. Chan, 2006. "Filial Piety and Psychological Well-Being in Well Older Chinese," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 61(5), pages 262-269.
    15. Luo Lu & Robin Gilmour, 2004. "Culture and conceptions of happiness: individual oriented and social oriented swb," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 269-291, September.
    16. Beate Littig & Erich Griessler, 2005. "Social sustainability: a catchword between political pragmatism and social theory," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 8(1/2), pages 65-79.
    17. Anna Nieboer & Siegwart Lindenberg & Anne Boomsma & Alinda Bruggen, 2005. "Dimensions Of Well-Being And Their Measurement: The Spf-Il Scale," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 73(3), pages 313-353, September.
    18. John R. Logan & Yanjie Bian & Fuqin Bian, 1999. "Housing inequality in urban China in the 1990s," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 7-25, March.
    19. Michael Cuthill, 2010. "Strengthening the ‘social’ in sustainable development: Developing a conceptual framework for social sustainability in a rapid urban growth region in Australia," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(6), pages 362-373, November/.
    20. repec:bla:kyklos:v:54:y:2001:i:2-3:p:317-42 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Siegwart Lindenberg, 2001. "Intrinsic Motivation in a New Light," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2‐3), pages 317-342, May.
    22. Johan Ormel & Siegwart Lindenberg & Nardi Steverink & Lois Verbrugge, 1999. "Subjective Well-Being and Social Production Functions," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 61-90, January.
    23. Takashi Inoguchi & Doh Shin, 2009. "The Quality of Life in Confucian Asia: From Physical Welfare to Subjective Well-being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 92(2), pages 183-190, June.
    24. Judith Banister & David E. Bloom & Larry Rosenberg, 2012. "Population Aging and Economic Growth in China," International Economic Association Series, in: Masahiko Aoki & Jinglian Wu (ed.), The Chinese Economy, chapter 6, pages 114-149, Palgrave Macmillan.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yafei Liu, 2022. "Space Reproduction in Urban China: Toward a Theoretical Framework of Urban Regeneration," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, September.
    2. Annette Henning, 2020. "Recognizing Energy Dilemmas and Injustices: An Interview Study of Thermal Comfort," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-11, June.
    3. Kagan Dogruyol & Zeeshan Aziz & Yusuf Arayici, 2018. "Eye of Sustainable Planning: A Conceptual Heritage-Led Urban Regeneration Planning Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-22, April.
    4. Jubril Olakitan Atanda & Ayşe Öztürk, 2020. "Social criteria of sustainable development in relation to green building assessment tools," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 61-87, January.
    5. Elena Matei & Despina Saghin & Liliana Dumitrache & Mariana Nae, 2018. "Multidimensional Approach on Sustainability of Ageing in Romanian Residential Care Centres for Elders," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-16, September.
    6. Batara Surya & Seri Suriani & Firman Menne & Herminawaty Abubakar & Muhammad Idris & Emil Salim Rasyidi & Hasanuddin Remmang, 2021. "Community Empowerment and Utilization of Renewable Energy: Entrepreneurial Perspective for Community Resilience Based on Sustainable Management of Slum Settlements in Makassar City, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-36, March.
    7. Lu Wang & Rose Gilroy, 2021. "The Role of Housing in Facilitating Middle-Class Family Practices in China: A Case Study of Tianjin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-11, November.
    8. Lie Ma & Qiu Xie & Shiying Shi & Xiaosu Ye & Aifeng Zhao, 2017. "Regional Maldistribution of China’s Hospitals Based on Their Structural System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-18, June.
    9. Jianbo Han & Edwin Hon Wan Chan & Queena Kun Qian & Esther Hiu Kwan Yung, 2021. "Achieving Sustainable Urban Development with an Ageing Population: An “Age-Friendly City and Community” Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-32, August.
    10. Kosa Golić & Vesna Kosorić & Siu-Kit Lau, 2020. "A Framework for Early Stages of Socially Sustainable Renovation of Multifamily Buildings with Occupants’ Participation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-22, October.
    11. Valentina Carella & Paola Monachesi, 2018. "Greener through Grey? Boosting Sustainable Development through a Philosophical and Social Media Analysis of Ageing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-13, February.
    12. Miaoxi Zhao & Yanliu Lin & Huiqin Wang, 2022. "Locational Differences of Collective Land and Their Socioeconomic Effects on the Rural Elderly in China’s Pearl River Delta," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-16, April.
    13. Jiun-Hao Wang & Szu-Yung Wang, 2019. "Indigenous Social Policy and Social Inclusion in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-17, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yafei Liu & Martin Dijst & Stan Geertman, 2017. "The subjective well-being of older adults in Shanghai: The role of residential environment and individual resources," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(7), pages 1692-1714, May.
    2. Hossein Farhadikhah & Keramatollah Ziari, 2021. "Social sustainability between old and new neighborhoods (case study: Tehran neighborhoods)," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 2596-2613, February.
    3. Agnieszka Wojewódzka-Wiewiórska & Anna Kłoczko-Gajewska & Piotr Sulewski, 2019. "Between the Social and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability in Rural Areas—In Search of Farmers’ Quality of Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-26, December.
    4. Robin Hogrefe & Sabine Bohnet-Joschko, 2023. "The Social Dimension of Corporate Sustainability: Review of an Evolving Research Field," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.
    5. Kosa Golić & Vesna Kosorić & Slavica Stamatovic Vuckovic & Kosara Kujundzic, 2023. "Strategies for Realization of Socially Sustainable Residential Buildings: Experts’ Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-31, April.
    6. Juan Ming & Jiachun Liu & Zicheng Wang, 2020. "Does the Homeownership Gap Between Rural–Urban Migrants and Urban–Urban Migrants in China Vary by Income?," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, November.
    7. Fatmaelzahraa Hussein & John Stephens & Reena Tiwari, 2020. "Memory for Social Sustainability: Recalling Cultural Memories in Zanqit Alsitat Historical Street Market, Alexandria, Egypt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-20, October.
    8. Nessa Winston, 2021. "Sustainable community development: Integrating social and environmental sustainability for sustainable housing and communities," Working Papers 202106, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    9. John Holmberg & Johan Larsson, 2018. "A Sustainability Lighthouse—Supporting Transition Leadership and Conversations on Desirable Futures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, October.
    10. Holger Lengfeld & Jessica Ordemann, 2016. "The long shadow of occupation: Volunteering in retirement," Rationality and Society, , vol. 28(1), pages 3-23, February.
    11. Taimaz Larimian & Arash Sadeghi, 2021. "Measuring urban social sustainability: Scale development and validation," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(4), pages 621-637, May.
    12. Fulong Wu, 2009. "Land Development, Inequality and Urban Villages in China," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 885-889, December.
    13. Barbieri, Elisa & Di Tommaso, Marco R. & Pollio, Chiara & Rubini, Lauretta, 2020. "Getting the specialization right. Industrialization in Southern China in a sustainable development perspective," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    14. Iris Claus & Les Oxley & Jie Chen & Xuehui Han, 2014. "The Evolution Of The Housing Market And Its Socioeconomic Impacts In The Post-Reform People'S Republic Of China: A Survey Of The Literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 652-670, September.
    15. Massoomeh Hedayati Marzbali & Aldrin Abdullah & Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki & Mina Safizadeh, 2021. "Moving the 2030 Agenda Ahead: Exploring the Role of Multiple Mediators toward Perceived Environment and Social Sustainability in Residential Neighbourhoods," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-18, October.
    16. Jerome Ballet & Damien Bazin & François‐Regis Mahieu, 2020. "A policy framework for social sustainability: Social cohesion, equity and safety," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1388-1394, September.
    17. Lili-Ann Wolff & Peter Ehrström, 2020. "Social Sustainability and Transformation in Higher Educational Settings: A Utopia or Possibility?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-21, May.
    18. Chisun Yoo & Sugie Lee, 2016. "Neighborhood Built Environments Affecting Social Capital and Social Sustainability in Seoul, Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-22, December.
    19. Guanghua Wan & Chen Wang & Yu Wu, 2021. "What Drove Housing Wealth Inequality in China?," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 29(1), pages 32-60, January.
    20. Jie Shen & Yang Xiao, 2020. "Emerging divided cities in China: Socioeconomic segregation in Shanghai, 2000–2010," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(6), pages 1338-1356, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:4:p:658-:d:96391. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.