ABSRTACT

With the reform and transition of socio － economic system, the poverty problem of Chinese rural areas which shows some new features has become an important factor to affect China's economic development. As“the final safety net”in the rural social security system, the rural social assistance is very important to improve farmers'living and maintain social fairness. Based on surveys and literature interpretation, by using the methods of combination of history and logic, combination of empirical and normative analysis, combination of common and characteristic analysis, we discuss the problem of rural social assistance in transition period from both theory and practice, in order to improve the rural social assistance policies and effects. The paper is divided into five chapters and the logical structure and brief discussion of it are as follows：

The first chapter is about the introduction of the paper. The main contents include the background and significance, basic concepts, literature review, methods, information, research ideas and novelty. This is a fundamental part of the paper.

The second chapter is about the theoretical basis for social assistance and rural poverty situation. It discusses the social assistance concept of Marxism classical writers and the latest developments in the guiding ideology since the 16thCongress of the Communist Party of China. The overall condition and causes of the rural poverty in the China's transition period are also analyzed. Marxism classical writers's concept covers a wide range of social assistance, involving the basic content of the social assistance. Actually, they always adhere to the method of historical materialism, based on the level of development of social productive forces, which needs to start from the actual life of the people on that basic concept of social assistance were discussed. From the concept of social assis tance of Marxism, the basic framework of the social assistance policy has been formed, which is cause of the present stage of social assistance. Since the reform and opening up, China has been adopting effective measures to promote improve people's living standards, but rural poverty still exists and are showing some new features. This paper discusses the scale, composition and spatial distribution of the rural poor, and tries to analyze the generation mechanism of the problem of rural poverty. That social transformation and the resulting social policy and institutional changes are the main reasons for the formation of rural poverty. Government can not shirk responsibility which should take full advantage of this favorable opportunity to develop the rural social assistance vigorously.

The third chapter is about the comments of policy and practice of the rural social assistance. The processes of the rural minimum living standard security system, the rural poverty alleviation and development policy, system of five guarantees, the new rural cooperative medical system, and education assistance system were briefly described. Moreover, the main problems of the each assistance project in practice are analyzed and the improvements corresponding to the specific circumstances are suggested. In view of the basic status of the rural minimum living standard security system in rural rescue policy system, the problems of it are analyzed from the security funds, security objects, security standards, exit mechanisms, laws and regulations, and organizational assurance. The system should be improving by perfecting rural minimum fund－raising mechanism, speeding up the legislation and supporting reform, perfecting the screening mechanism of the rural minimal assurance objects, reasonably increasing the minimum security standard and improving the exit mechanism. At the same time, the paper proposes that the government should focus on the standardization and legalization construction, establishing the concept of modern rescue, raise public awareness and giving full play the main role of the relief object, doing a good job to identify the rescue objects, cultivating diversified subjects of the relief work, reasonably defining the main rights and responsibilities, strengthening assessment and management agencies, establishing a comprehensive rural social assistance system, highlighting the poor farmers development needs and the humane care of the social assistance.

The forth chapter is the study of the NGO intervention in rural social assistance. How to eliminate rural poverty, this paper proposes that the NGO should be actively involved in rural social assistance. As a important social subject of the rural social assistance, the NGO has unique advantages in the supplementary relief funds to improve the efficiency and in reliving diversity needs, and its rescue mode also has a variety of types. China's NGO which involved in the field of rural social assistance is still in its infancy. In the course of its development, there are some non－standard aspects, including the support of the government which has not done enough work, shortage of funds and professionals. And the relevant legal system is not perfect. The reason is that social acceptance and credibility of the NGO is low, it has no legal status, and its own structure is not reasonable, as well as the mode of operation is not mature enough. Therefore, we should establish the correct beliefs and values to rationalize the relationship between NGO and government, to promote the legal system. The NGO should strengthen its capacity, build and promote its healthy development, give full play its positive role in the rural social assistance.

The fifth chapter is about the situation and countermeasures of China's rural social assistance. On the basis of the above study, the chapter discusses social assistance policy from a holistic perspective. The present stage in the economic, political and social conditions, as well as practical experience have provided a favorable factor for the development and improvement of rural social assistance policy, but due to the economic living conditions and social development, China's current rural social assistance, are also facing some difficulties in the external and internal. For protecting the basic livelihood of farmers, maintaining social fair and harmonious, the paper put forward the goal of the implementation of the rural social assistance and the basic principle. We should optimize the supply system of assistance resources, focus on joining rural social assistance system, improving management system and working mechanism, building the social assistance system of the urban－rural integration, and promote the legalization process.

The study shows that framework of the rural social assistance system has been basically formed in social transition period, but its content system is not perfect, and the effectiveness of running should to be improved. Building of rural social assistance policy system should be suitable for China, which is significant and a long－term process. All levels of government should to establish a fair value orientation, should also be actively involved in rural social assistance as the core. The community should work together to promote the development and improvement of rural social assistance policy so that to improve the effectiveness of the implementation of the rural social assistance.

Key Words: rural poverty social assistance policy system problem-propose