Eliminating Poverty through Development in China

Instruction

Inrecent years China has achieved impressive economic growth, and also made remarkable progress in human development. However, contemporary
China is still faced with the great challenge of widespread poverty. This not only constitutes a barrier against China’s pursuit of sustainable economic growth, but also poses a potential threat to China’s attempts to construct a harmonious society in the future. This report, written by three renowned poverty-reduction experts under the aegis of the China Development Research Foundation – one of China’s leading think-tanks – and drawing on the research of over twenty of China’s top scholars in this field, examines China’s efforts to eliminate poverty through development. It analyses all of the key issues, providing a review of China’s past record in poverty alleviation,comparing this with the experiences of other countries, identifying the new characteristics and trends in poverty in recent years, and discussing the factors responsible. It assesses the objectives and success of the poverty alleviation policies adopted by the Chinese government in a comprehensive way, and puts forward suggestions for policy makers. Overall, this report is a valuable account of China’s own thinking on its problems of poverty, and the best ways to tackle it and achieve sustainable economic development.

China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) is a nation-wide non-profit organization founded on the initiative of the Development Research Center (DRC) of the State Council. CDRF’s mission is to advance good governance and public policy to promote economic development and social progress in
China.

Contents

    List of figures
    List of tables
    List of boxes
    Foreword
    Authors’ foreword xvii
    List of contributors xxi

1  Introduction
    A review of China’s poverty and anti-poverty efforts
    Socioeconomic development and poverty reduction
    Evolution of poverty concepts and other countries’ experiences
    This report’s approach

2  New characteristics of poverty in China today
    The absolute poverty line in China
    Poor populations in rural areas of China
    Size and geographical distribution of poor populations in urban areas

3  Analysis of the causes of poverty
    An analytical framework
    Agricultural dependence and natural environmental constraints
    Human capital constraints
    Public services constraints
    Causes of urban poverty
    A brief summary of the causes of poverty

4  China’s poverty alleviation policies: goals and impacts
    Main poverty alleviation policies and their characteristics
    The effects of poverty alleviation policies in rural areas
    The poverty alleviation effects of anti-poverty policies in urban areas
    Conclusive evaluation of China’s anti-poverty policies

5  Governance and poverty alleviation
    The organization of China’s poverty alleviation forces and their functions
    The Chinese Government’s primary experiences in poverty alleviation
    The main problems with the Chinese Government’s administrative practices for poverty alleviation

6  Suggestions for poverty alleviation policies 
    Establish a developmental poverty line and adjust long-term poverty alleviation objectives
    Establish a reasonable credit mechanism for poverty alleviation and define the financial sector’s participation
    Establish and completely implement the social security system for rural and urban areas
    Support the drive for urbanization, and provide social security and public services to migrants from rural areas working in urban areas
    Provide fairer educational opportunities
    Provide more intensive training to rural labourers on employment, occupational skills and labour transfers
    Improve rural medical services
    Establish a reasonable public finance-assisted poverty alleviation mechanism and reinforce governmental oversight
    Expand the role played by non-governmental organizations in poverty alleviation
    In conclusion