In recent years, the Chinese government has spent billions on preserving social stability, but the results have been, to say the least, mixed. At a Social Development Forum held at Tsinghua University recently, experts suggested a new approach.

A report released at the conference says that despite massive spending by central and local governments, social contradictions and conflicts are becoming more acute. It suggests that society has entered a cycle of "instability".

Earlier this year, the State Council reported to the National People's Congress that 2009 spending on public security was 16 percent up on 2008, and that the 2010 security bill may reach 514 billion yuan (US$75.28 billion).

But this huge expenditure is failing to produce results. Increasing the number of police officers just adds to the government's financial burden without solving the underlying problem.

The root causes of social instability are the growing gap between rich and poor, failure to respect the rights of workers – especially migrant workers, and official corruption. But some government departments have became so super-sensitive that they regard even the simplest requests from the public as social unrest.

Allowing people to express their demands is not incompatible with social stability. Rapid economic development has inevitably produced conflicts among different interest groups. But instead of trying to solve these social problems governments at all levels have set up special "stability preservation offices" to put damp down unrest. Some departments even buy temporary peace with handouts that not only add to government spending but actually encourage unrest.

According to the report, "investigations show that [unrest] occurred because of a lack of ways for people to express their concerns and interests," and that "improving the legal system to guarantee people's rights is urgently needed."

Experts say that opening up government documents for public inspection and letting the public attend policy hearings would improve stability. And when people's rights are infringed, the government should intervene promptly to provide assistance and solutions. There should be more channels for people, especially vulnerable groups, to air their complaints.

The best way to preserve social stability, the report says, "is to safeguard people's rights as laid down in the Constitution. If rights are guaranteed, a balance between interest groups can be found; and if interests are balanced, social stability will follow." In fact, this is the essence of social stability.

"The fundamental purpose that drives all of our work is to increase the happiness and dignity of the people, and increase justice and harmony in society," the report quoted Premier Wen Jiabao's words to the National People's Congress earlier this year.