Social Welfare in Macau — Between East and West : A Comparative, Analytical Welfare Regime Perspective

This paper examines the Macau welfare model. Having experienced a structural shift in its economic development, establishing a Casino-based economy, Macau has yet to develop an adequate social security system. This paper examines the history, and particularly the recent period since the Handover to Chinese authorities in 1999, of the welfare system in Macau, and compares the current state of the welfare system with that of neighboring countries and territories. The paper concludes that Macau is not a typical member of the East Asian family of welfare state system, nor does it reveal strong similarties with its former mother country, Portugal. Macau has yet to embrace the concept of welfare and wellbeing as a central part of social harmony and policy making. As a result, Macau could learn plenty of lessons from other East Asian city states, like Hong Kong or Singapore, or from its new motherland, Mainland China, who all combine fast economic growth with decent (and expanding) levels of social security and social investment in education and health care