Common Prosperity is tackling social and economic inequality but will it hit the mark? The end of 九九六 and private tutoring at nights/weekends have now come into effect. Both of these policies were designed to support working families and address social/economic inequalities but will they exacerbate it instead?

Bitedance employees discussing the end of a six day work week were trending on Weibo this week. Not because they were happy to have Saturday off but because their salaries were being cut by 10-15% according to reports! Factory workers and overworked IT sector employees may have been the target of this policy but they have taken an immediate wage cut in response to this policy change.

Was the end of 九九六 a good thing? The cost of living is quite high with rent, childcare and schooling costs for young families being a major reason for having one child. Will this help reduce costs on families and how will this policy affect working class factory workers?

Will the end of private tutoring reduce social mobility in China? Overtime we have seen in developed nations such as the USA that social mobility between classes (from working to middle and middle to upper class) is increasingly difficult. While China has just announced an end to certain types of private tutoring, educational advancement has long been one way in China for families to move up. Indeed over the last 40 years some 800 million have been lifted out of poverty and China's middle class has grown to 400 million, while this has been in large part to economic policy changes - education has been the bedrock for advancement. Will the end of private education entrench social disadvantages between rural communities and uneducated parents unable to assist their children and well educated urban parents who are able to help their children? We are already hearing reports that education companies are pivoting to teach parents but where will these parents find the time to cram for exams and teach their children?