Abstract: The period of 1996-1997 is a crucial year in China when economic reform was pushed forward in greater depth. It is also a year of intensified social contradictions and social problems arising in the course of social transformation. Three causes can be listed for those social problems. First, the economic cause. Backward economic reproduction and unbalanced economic development on top of unbalanced population growth give rise to crises in natural reproduction. Second, the systemic cause. Lack of support from necessary measures makes correct policies fail to reach the expected goals in the operation of the present system, and, to make the matter worse, bring about negative results. Besides, the dual nature of production models and criteria makes the two interfere with one aother, which leads to disfunction of the major part of the system. Third, the cause of values. Causes of values come from conflicts of interest, which push various values to the extremes with irresponsibility and vulgarity.

摘要： 本文认为,1996～1997年度是我国经济改革向纵深发展的关键时刻,也是整个社会转型过程中社会矛盾、社会问题比较突出和集中的时期。产生社会问题的原因有三个方面。1. 经济根源:经济再生产落后、经济发展不平衡、人口再生产失衡、自然再生产出现危机。2. 体制根源:现行的制度在实际操作过程中,因缺乏配套措施而使正确的决策没有达到预期的目的,或者在达到预期目的的同时产生了负面影响;由于双重模式、双重准则的相互制约导致制度主体的功能紊乱。3. 价值观根源:利益冲突导致价值观念的混乱,使价值取向极端化、无责任化、粗俗化。