To situate todays social assistance program conceptually and historically,this paper presents three ideal-typical stances states may adopt in welfare provision,especially for indigent populations:1)extend assistance to accord with social citizenship rights—or to fulfill the Confucian concept of the rite of benevolence;2)grant benefits(education,health care)to enhance the nations productivity;or 3)offer subsidies to attain support or to pacify anger and silence demands from the poor.The intended beneficiaries of these projects are,respectively,individuals;society/the state;and politicians.This categorization can distinguish,in broad-brush fashion,official hand-outs at diverse historical moments;the models are meant not to characterize entire eras so much as to illustrate differential styles of allocation.Moreover,each era justifies its practice with reference to Confucian dicta.In this comparative context,todays political elite bestows financial aid—but just a conditional kind--mainly to preempt disturbances and prevent"instability,"in line with the third of the types.