IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/eurjdr/v36y2024i6d10.1057_s41287-024-00649-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Targeted Poverty Alleviation for the Livelihood Improvement of Poverty-Stricken Households: A Case Study of Wuxi County, China

Author

Listed:
  • Qianqian Zhang

    (Southwest University)

  • Tao Li

    (Southwest University)

  • Jianzhong Yan

    (Southwest University)

  • Liuna Xie

    (Southwest University)

  • Xiongwei Tan

    (Southwest University)

Abstract

This paper explores the effects of different types of policy measures on poverty-stricken households’ (PSHs’) livelihood strategy transitions in China’s targeted poverty alleviation (TPA) system. Considering the connection between TPA policy measures and PSHs’ livelihood improvement, this paper identifies three types of policy measures, namely, safeguard-oriented, employment-oriented and ability-oriented policies. The data utilized in this paper were tracking data collected from 1298 PSHs in Southwest China in 2014 and 2020. A multinomial logit model was adopted to explore the effects of different types of policy measures on the trajectory of PSHs’ livelihood strategy transitions. The results show that employment-oriented policies could effectively prompt the upwards movement of PSHs’ livelihood strategies. Likewise, safeguard-oriented policies hinder the downwards movement of PSHs’ livelihood strategies. However, due to the effectiveness and time effects of policies, ability-oriented policies offer only limited benefits for the movement of PSHs’ livelihood strategies. These findings are valuable for other developing countries seeking to accelerate the progress of rural poverty reduction by providing targeted and effective policy measures.

Suggested Citation

  • Qianqian Zhang & Tao Li & Jianzhong Yan & Liuna Xie & Xiongwei Tan, 2024. "Targeted Poverty Alleviation for the Livelihood Improvement of Poverty-Stricken Households: A Case Study of Wuxi County, China," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 36(6), pages 1519-1544, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:36:y:2024:i:6:d:10.1057_s41287-024-00649-6
    DOI: 10.1057/s41287-024-00649-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41287-024-00649-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41287-024-00649-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. ZHANG, Yangyang & ZHENG, Xinye & XIE, Lunyu, 2021. "How do poverty alleviation coordinators help the impoverished in rural China? -- Evidence from the Chinese poor population tracking dataset," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    2. Rui Sun & Jianing Mi & Shu Cao & Tianyi Zhang, 2021. "Trends and Determinants of Income-Oriented Livelihood Transitions in Rural China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 601-624, June.
    3. Shuangshuang Tang & Xin Li, 2021. "Responding to the pandemic as a family unit: social impacts of COVID-19 on rural migrants in China and their coping strategies," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Tran, Tuyen Quang & Vu, Huong Van, 2020. "The pro-poor impact of non-crop livelihood activities in rural Vietnam: A panel data quantile regression analysis," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 348-362.
    5. Xie, Lunyu & Yan, Haosheng & Zhang, Shuhan & Wei, Chu, 2020. "Does urbanization increase residential energy use? Evidence from the Chinese residential energy consumption survey 2012," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    6. Fischer, Richard & Lippe, Melvin & Dolom, Priscilla & Kalaba, Felix Kanungwe & Tamayo, Fabian & Torres, Bolier, 2023. "Effectiveness of policy instrument mixes for forest conservation in the tropics – Stakeholder perceptions from Ecuador, the Philippines and Zambia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    7. Soltani, Arezoo & Angelsen, Arild & Eid, Tron & Naieni, Mohammad Saeid Noori & Shamekhi, Taghi, 2012. "Poverty, sustainability, and household livelihood strategies in Zagros, Iran," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 60-70.
    8. Christopher B. Barrett, 2005. "Rural poverty dynamics: development policy implications," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 32(s1), pages 45-60, January.
    9. Giefer, Madeline M. & An, Li, 2022. "Divergent impacts of the grain to green program, landholdings, and demographic factors on livelihood diversification in rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    10. Jiao, Xi & Pouliot, Mariève & Walelign, Solomon Zena, 2017. "Livelihood Strategies and Dynamics in Rural Cambodia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 266-278.
    11. Han, Huawei & Gao, Qin, 2019. "Community-based welfare targeting and political elite capture: Evidence from rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 145-159.
    12. Lan, Xiao & Zhang, Qin & Xue, Haili & Liang, Haoguang & Wang, Bojie & Wang, Weijun, 2021. "Linking sustainable livelihoods with sustainable grassland use and conservation: A case study from rural households in a semi-arid grassland area, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    13. Peng, Yan-ling & Ren, Yanjun & Li, Hou-jian, 2021. "Do credit constraints affect households' economic vulnerability? Empirical evidence from rural China," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 20(9), pages 2552-2568.
    14. Xuechao Li & Yaxuan Luo & Huijuan Wang, 2023. "Effects of Targeted Poverty Alleviation on the Sustainable Livelihood of Poor Farmers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-21, April.
    15. van den Berg, Marrit, 2010. "Household income strategies and natural disasters: Dynamic livelihoods in rural Nicaragua," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 592-602, January.
    16. Wu, Bin & Liu, Linghui, 2020. "Social capital for rural revitalization in China: A critical evaluation on the government’s new countryside programme in Chengdu," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    17. Xiao, Han & Zheng, Xinye & Xie, Lunyu, 2022. "Promoting pro-poor growth through infrastructure investment: Evidence from the Targeted Poverty Alleviation program in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    18. Zhang, Huiming & Xu, Zhidong & Sun, Chuanwang & Elahi, Ehsan, 2018. "Targeted poverty alleviation using photovoltaic power: Review of Chinese policies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 550-558.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ghazali, Samane & Zibaei, Mansour & Azadi, Hossein, 2023. "Impact of livelihood strategies and capitals on rangeland sustainability and nomads' poverty: A counterfactual analysis in Southwest Iran," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    2. Barad, Richard & Fletcher, Erin K. & Hillbruner, Chris, 2020. "Leveraging existing household survey data to map livelihoods in Nigeria," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    3. Qianqian Zhang & Tao Li & Xiongwei Tan & Jianzhong Yan, 2023. "Protecting Poor Rural Households from Health Shocks: Poverty Alleviation Practices in Chongqing, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-22, April.
    4. Lan, Xiao & Zhang, Qin & Xue, Haili & Liang, Haoguang & Wang, Bojie & Wang, Weijun, 2021. "Linking sustainable livelihoods with sustainable grassland use and conservation: A case study from rural households in a semi-arid grassland area, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    5. Benyong Wei & Guiwu Su & Yingkui Li & Yuling Ma, 2019. "Livelihood Strategies of Rural Households in Ning’er Earthquake-Stricken Areas, Yunnan Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-18, October.
    6. Mohammad Shamsul Hoq & Md. Taj Uddin & Shankar Kumar Raha & Mohammad Ismail Hossain, 2022. "Determinants of households’ livelihood diversification strategies to adapt to natural hazards: evidence from ecologically vulnerable haor region of Bangladesh," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 114(3), pages 3255-3291, December.
    7. Solomon Zena Walelign & Mariève Pouliot & Helle Overgaard Larsen & Carsten Smith-Hall, 2015. "A novel approach to dynamic livelihood clustering: Empirical evidence from Nepal," IFRO Working Paper 2015/09, University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics.
    8. William Adzawla & Abou Kane, 2018. "Gender Perspectives Of The Determinants Of Climate Adaptation: The Case Of Livelihood Diversification In Northern Ghana [Une Approche Genrée des déterminants de l'adaptation au climat: le cas de la," Post-Print hal-01929070, HAL.
    9. Beytollah Mahmoudi & Eric Zenner & Davood Mafi-Gholami & Fatemeh Eshaghi, 2023. "Livelihood Analysis and a New Inferential Model for Development of Forest-Dependent Rural Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-15, June.
    10. Zhang, Jian & Mishra, Ashok K. & Zhu, Peixin, 2019. "Identifying livelihood strategies and transitions in rural China: Is land holding an obstacle?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 107-117.
    11. Bolier Torres & Jhenny Cayambe & Susana Paz & Kelly Ayerve & Marco Heredia-R & Emma Torres & Marcelo Luna & Theofilos Toulkeridis & Antón García, 2022. "Livelihood Capitals, Income Inequality, and the Perception of Climate Change: A Case Study of Small-Scale Cattle Farmers in the Ecuadorian Andes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, April.
    12. Qi Sun & Yunli Bai & Chao Fu & Xiangbo Xu & Mingxing Sun & Baodong Cheng & Linxiu Zhang, 2022. "Heterogeneous Effects of Skill Training on Rural Livelihoods around Four Biosphere Reserves in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-22, September.
    13. Longjunjiang Huang & Cong Liao & Xuan Guo & Yanlin Liu & Xiaojin Liu, 2023. "Analysis of the Impact of Livelihood Capital on Livelihood Strategies of Leased-In Farmland Households: A Case Study of Jiangxi Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-29, June.
    14. Yang Liu & Qing Zhang & Qingfu Liu & Yongzhi Yan & Wanxin Hei & Deyong Yu & Jianguo Wu, 2020. "Different Household Livelihood Strategies and Influencing Factors in the Inner Mongolian Grassland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, January.
    15. Ali Akbar Barati & Milad Zhoolideh & Mostafa Moradi & Eydieh Sohrabi Mollayousef & Christine Fürst, 2022. "Multidimensional poverty and livelihood strategies in rural Iran," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12963-12993, November.
    16. Wang, Chaofan & Zhao, Yujia & Strezov, Vladimir & Shuai, Chuanmin & Cheng, Xin & Shuai, Jing, 2023. "Spatial correlation analysis of comprehensive efficiency of the photovoltaic poverty alleviation policy - Evidence from 110 counties in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    17. Hong Chang & Xinchao Liu & Yu Xie & Yahong Liu & Wu Yang & Jianming Niu, 2022. "The Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy Drives the Differentiation of Herders’ Livelihoods in Inner Mongolian Desert Grassland," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-15, August.
    18. Nguyen, Trung Thanh & Do, Truong Lam & Bühler, Dorothee & Hartje, Rebecca & Grote, Ulrike, 2015. "Rural livelihoods and environmental resource dependence in Cambodia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 282-295.
    19. Jakobsen, Kristian Thor, 2012. "In the Eye of the Storm—The Welfare Impacts of a Hurricane," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(12), pages 2578-2589.
    20. Torres, Bolier & Günter, Sven & Acevedo-Cabra, Ricardo & Knoke, Thomas, 2018. "Livelihood strategies, ethnicity and rural income: The case of migrant settlers and indigenous populations in the Ecuadorian Amazon," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 22-34.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:36:y:2024:i:6:d:10.1057_s41287-024-00649-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.