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China's Agricultural Crisis and Famine of 1959–1961: A Survey and Comparison to Soviet Famines

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  • Dennis Tao Yang

    ([1] Department of Economics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
    [2] Department of Economics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong.)

Abstract

China's Great Leap Forward (GLF) of 1958–1961 ended as a catastrophe as widespread famine claimed millions of human lives. This paper reviews the literature on this historical crisis. The collapse of grain production was primarily attributable to failures in central planning that diverted agricultural resources to industry and to malnutrition among peasants, which lowered their productivity. The resulting decline in grain availability and the urban bias in China's food distribution system were the main causes of the famine. This paper also compares China's experience with the Soviet famines of 1931–1933 and 1947. Comparative Economic Studies (2008) 50, 1–29. doi:10.1057/ces.2008.4

Suggested Citation

  • Dennis Tao Yang, 2008. "China's Agricultural Crisis and Famine of 1959–1961: A Survey and Comparison to Soviet Famines," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 50(1), pages 1-29, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:compes:v:50:y:2008:i:1:p:1-29
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    Cited by:

    1. Ziying Fan & Wei Xiong & Li-An Zhou, 2016. "Information Distortion in Hierarchical Organizations: A Study of China’s Great Famine," Working Papers 2016-8, Princeton University. Economics Department..
    2. Anton Cheremukhin & Mikhail Golosov & Sergei Guriev & Aleh Tsyvinski, 2015. "The Economy of People’s Republic of China from 1953," NBER Working Papers 21397, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Zhongwei Zhao & Yuan Zhu & Anna Reimondos, 2013. "Could changes in reported sex ratios at birth during China's 1958-1961 famine support the adaptive sex ratio adjustment hypothesis?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 29(33), pages 885-906.
    4. Yared, Pierre & Qian, Nancy & ,, 2010. "The Institutional Causes of China's Great Famine, 1959-61," CEPR Discussion Papers 8012, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Chaolin Gu & Christian Kesteloot & Ian G Cook, 2015. "Theorising Chinese urbanisation: A multi-layered perspective," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 52(14), pages 2564-2580, November.
    6. Gooch, Elizabeth, 2019. "Terrain ruggedness and limits of political repression: Evidence from China’s Great Leap Forward and Famine (1959-61)," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 827-852.
    7. Matthieu CLEMENT, 2010. "Food Availability and Food Entitlements during the Chinese Great Leap Forward Famine: A dynamic panel data analysis (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2010-03, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    8. Liu, Qiyang & Lucas, Karen & Marsden, Greg & Liu, Yang, 2019. "Egalitarianism and public perception of social inequities: A case study of Beijing congestion charge," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 47-62.
    9. Guriev, Sergei & Cheremukhin, Anton & Golosov, Mikhail & Tsyvinski, Aleh, 2015. "The Economy of People’s Republic of China from 1953," CEPR Discussion Papers 10764, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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