Speaker: Gao Qin, Professor of Social Policy and Social Work, School of Social Work, Columbia University

Time: 8:30pm–10:00pm, 31 May 2023 (Wednesday, HK Time)

Venue: Zoom (ZOOM Link will be sent to registered audience after finished the e-registration.)

Registration: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/mycuform/view.php?id=1975785

Abstract:

Chinese Americans are one of the fastest growing population groups in the United States, yet they have been historically underrepresented in politics and policy and underserved in healthcare, education, and social services. In this talk, Professor Qin Gao will share new findings on the state of the Chinese American population based on the first and largest survey project of its kind jointly conducted by Columbia University and Committee of 100. She will focus on three key takeaways: First, Chinese Americans are diverse. While the overwhelming majority of Chinese Americans see themselves as accepted in American society and culturally blended between American and Chinese cultures, they are also often marginalized and have experienced discrimination in their daily lives. Second, Chinese Americans are active political participants. The overwhelming majority of Chinese American citizens vote. They care deeply about issues facing U.S. society and want better relations and more collaboration between the U.S. and China. Third, Chinese Americans are not homogenous. While often stereotyped as a “model minority,” many have experienced disadvantages or hardships in health and economics and need better support from policies and services.

About the Speaker:

Qin Gao is a Professor of Social Policy and Social Work and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education at the Columbia University School of Social Work and the Founding Director of the Columbia China Center for Social Policy. Dr. Gao studies poverty, inequality, social policy, migration, and child development in China and their international comparisons. She currently leads The State of Chinese Americans Survey and is a member of the New York City Longitudinal Survey of Wellbeing study research team. She is also on the faculty of the Committee on Global Thought and Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University and a Public Intellectual Fellow of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Qin Gao’s book, Welfare, Work, and Poverty: Social Assistance in China (Oxford University Press, 2017) presents a systematic evaluation of the world’s largest social welfare program, Dibao. Her co-edited book, China Urbanizing: Impacts and Transitions (Penn Press, 2022), captures China’s urbanization in its historical and regional variations and explores its multifaceted impacts. Dr. Gao’s work has been supported by multiple national and international funding sources such as the Asian Development Bank, UNICEF, and the World Bank.