The case of privatisation in China’s hospital sector: Neoliberalisation under state capitalism
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Privatisation of previously public industries and services is part of the ideological shift associated with the global neoliberal turn of the past 40 years. This article examines such a change within the healthcare system in China: specifically, the formation and development of a private hospital sector, which by 2015 surpassed the number of public hospitals for the first time. We draw on documentary and interview-based data, both English-language and Chinese-language to examine the privatisation process in this setting. We show that while the re-establishment of the private hospital sector in China followed a relatively well-trodden path wherein government policy shifts to sanction private-for-profit sector growth in the social sectors, several context-specific features reflect China’s contemporary state capitalism as the Chinese state has chosen to actively direct infrastructure formation in the private hospital sector and finance it through state-owned enterprises and investments. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of approaches to studying social policy that build nuanced understanding of public-private relations and state restructuring, and how these materialise in different settings.
Source: Global Social Policy
Institutions: King's College London, University of Glasgow
Language: English
Subfield: Finance
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,650
OpenAlex ID: W7128522437