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After the Deluge: A longitudinal study of resettlement at the Three Gorges Dam, China

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  • Wilmsen, Brooke

Abstract

In 2015 the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China was completed. For more than two decades, the 1.13 million people it displaced have been rebuilding their livelihoods. To assist, the Chinese government used policy and incentives to stimulate the local economy. Whether the resettlers benefited from such initiatives is not yet understood. This paper offers the first longitudinal analysis of the resettlers’ livelihoods. The study follows up with 521 households that participated in a survey in 2003. The initial survey, conducted within five years of their displacement, found that despite improvements to infrastructure and housing, incomes generally declined, livelihoods were dismantled, and permanent employment was replaced by more temporary employment. Resettlers were struggling to meet even their basic needs. However, eight years on from the original survey, this study finds the gains to be substantial. Within the sample groups, income inequality has declined, food is more secure and wellbeing is improved on 2003 levels. What is more, incomes have generally grown and are positively correlated to employment in an enterprise. It appears that the Chinese government’s resolve to stimulate the regional economy and to turn the crank on enterprise investment has paid off in this region of the Three Gorges Dam.

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  • Wilmsen, Brooke, 2016. "After the Deluge: A longitudinal study of resettlement at the Three Gorges Dam, China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 41-54.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:84:y:2016:i:c:p:41-54
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.04.003
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    Cited by:

    1. Xu, Hongzhang & Pittock, Jamie & Daniell, Katherine, 2022. "‘Sustainability of what, for whom? A critical analysis of Chinese development induced displacement and resettlement (DIDR) programs," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    2. Youliang Huang & Wensheng Lin & Shan Li & Yan Ning, 2018. "Social Impacts of Dam-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: A Comparative Case Study in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, November.
    3. Yu Lu & Ziheng Shangguan, 2023. "Reassessing Resettlement-Associated Poverty Induced by Water Conservancy Projects in China: Case Study of the “Yangtze to Huai River Inter-Basin” Water Diversion Project," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-17, June.
    4. Ruilian Zhang & John R. Owen & Deanna Kemp & Guoqing Shi, 2022. "An applied framework for assessing the relative deprivation of dam‐affected communities," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(1), pages 176-190, February.
    5. Xia, Bingqing & Qiang, Maoshan & Chen, Wenchao & Fan, Qixiang & Jiang, Hanchen & An, Nan, 2018. "A benefit-sharing model for hydropower projects based on stakeholder input-output analysis: A case study of the Xiluodu Project in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 341-352.
    6. Randell, Heather, 2016. "The short-term impacts of development-induced displacement on wealth and subjective well-being in the Brazilian Amazon," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 385-400.
    7. Min An & Mengfei Song & Xue Fang & Jin Huang & Ying Yang & Ramsey Thomas Stephen, 2023. "The impact of water conservancy project tourism on the adaptability of nearby-resettled people," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 14(4), pages 1467-1478, August.
    8. Tong Weiming & Zhu Liyuan & Lo Kevin, 2019. "Livelihood adaptation and life satisfaction among land-lost farmers: Critiquing China’s urbanisation-driven land appropriation," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 46(46), pages 149-161, December.
    9. Li, Jintao & Dong, Haoran & Li, Shaoxing, 2024. "Economic development and optimal allocation of land use in ecological emigration area in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    10. Cong Li & Lei Wang & Marcus W. Feldman & Shuzhuo Li, 2021. "Poverty and income inequality effects of the relocation program in Shaanxi, China," Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, The Crawford School, The Australian National University, vol. 35(2), pages 41-59, November.
    11. Uddin, Nasir, 2024. "Understanding ‘refugee resettlement’ from below: Decoding the Rohingya refugees’ lived experience in Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    12. Zheng Wang, 2022. "LIFE AFTER RESETTLEMENT IN URBAN CHINA: State‐led Community Building as a Reterritorialization Strategy," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 424-440, May.
    13. Li Huang & Jian Huang & Wei Wang, 2018. "The Sustainable Development Assessment of Reservoir Resettlement Based on a BP Neural Network," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, January.
    14. Sarah Rogers & Mark Wang, 2020. "Producing a Chinese hydrosocial territory: A river of clean water flows north from Danjiangkou," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 38(7-8), pages 1308-1327, November.
    15. Zhou Peng & Xiaochun Xiao & Ye Lv & Xiaoyan Guan & Wei Wang, 2022. "A Large-Scale Investigation of the Status of Out-Resettlers from the Three Gorges Area Based on the Production–Living–Social Security–Social Integration–Satisfaction Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-20, November.
    16. Tianhe Jiang & Mark Wang & Yingnan Zhang & Guoqing Shi & Dengcai Yan, 2021. "What about the “Stayers”? Examining China’s Resettlement Induced by Large Reservoir Projects," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, February.
    17. Hongzhang Xu & Meng Peng & Jamie Pittock & Jiayu Xu, 2021. "Managing Rather Than Avoiding “Difficulties” in Building Landscape Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-24, March.
    18. Wang, Shun & Zhou, Weina, 2017. "The Unintended Long-Term Consequences of Mao’s Mass Send-Down Movement: Marriage, Social Network, and Happiness," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 344-359.
    19. Shuangshuang Liu & Qipeng Liao & Mingzhu Xiao & Dengyue Zhao & Chunbo Huang, 2022. "Spatial and Temporal Variations of Habitat Quality and Its Response of Landscape Dynamic in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-20, March.
    20. Castro-Diaz, Laura & García, María Alejandra & Villamayor-Tomas, Sergio & Lopez, Maria Claudia, 2023. "Impacts of hydropower development on locals’ livelihoods in the Global South," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    21. Jianjian Qiu & Yihua Liu & Shi Xian & Longjian Song & Xiaolin Ru, 2020. "‘Plural Reciprocity’ vs. ‘Acquaintance Society’: Place Attachment and Residential Satisfaction under Development-Induced Resettlement Differences in Guangzhou, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-19, August.
    22. Jun Cheng & Ruilian Zhang & Yuzhen Liu & Chen Wang, 2022. "Social anomie induced by resource development projects: A case of a coal mining project," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(2), pages 306-321, March.
    23. Walelign, Solomon Zena & Lujala, Päivi, 2022. "A place-based framework for assessing resettlement capacity in the context of displacement induced by climate change," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    24. Sgarbi, Felipe de Albuquerque & Uhlig, Alexandre & Simões, André Felipe & Goldemberg, José, 2019. "An assessment of the socioeconomic externalities of hydropower plants in Brazil," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 868-879.

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