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Temporary and Persistent Poverty among Ethnic Minorities and the Majority in Rural China

Author

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  • Gustafsson, Björn Anders

    (Göteborg University)

  • Sai, Ding

    (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

Abstract

Poverty among ethnic minorities and the majority in rural China for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 is investigated taking a dynamic view and using a large sample covering 22 provinces. Based on the National Bureau of Statistics' low income line, almost one-third of the ethnic minorities experienced poverty during the three years studied while the corresponding proportion among the ethnic majority was only about half as high. Still, by far most of the poor in rural China belong to the ethnic majority. The relatively high poverty rates for ethnic minorities in rural China are found to be due to higher rates of entry than for the majority, while differences in exit rates across ethnicities are few. To a large extent, ethnic poverty differences can be attributed to differences in location together with temporary and persistent poverty in rural China having a very clear spatial character. Poverty is concentrated to the western region and villages with low average income. Determinants of persistent and temporary poverty in rural China differ due to location as well as household characteristics.

Suggested Citation

  • Gustafsson, Björn Anders & Sai, Ding, 2008. "Temporary and Persistent Poverty among Ethnic Minorities and the Majority in Rural China," IZA Discussion Papers 3791, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp3791
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    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp3791.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gustafsson,Björn A. & Shi,Li & Sicular,Terry (ed.), 2008. "Inequality and Public Policy in China," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521870450, November.
    2. Jalan, Jyotsna & Ravallion, Martin, 1999. "Are the poor less well insured? Evidence on vulnerability to income risk in rural China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1), pages 61-81, February.
    3. Shaohua Chen & Martin Ravallion, 2010. "The Developing World is Poorer than We Thought, But No Less Successful in the Fight Against Poverty," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 125(4), pages 1577-1625.
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    6. World Bank, 2001. "China : Overcoming Rural Poverty," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13902.
    7. Jalan, Jyotsna & Ravallion, Martin, 1998. "Transient Poverty in Postreform Rural China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 338-357, June.
    8. Chen, Shaohua & Ravallion, Martin, 2008. "China is poorer than we thought, but no less successful in the fight against poverty," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4621, The World Bank.
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    Cited by:

    1. Margaret Maurer‐Fazio & James W. Hughes & Dandan Zhang, 2010. "A comparison and decomposition of reform‐era labor force participation rates of China's ethnic minorities and Han majority," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(2), pages 138-162, May.
    2. Ouyang, Yusi & Pinstrup-Andersen, Per, 2012. "Health Inequality between Ethnic Minority and Han Populations in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(7), pages 1452-1468.
    3. Ralph W. Huenemann, 2014. "The World Bank and China: Future Prospects," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 1(1), pages 251-256, January.
    4. Castro Campos, Bente, 2013. "Human capital differences or labor market discrimination? The occupational outcomes of ethnic minorities in rural Guizhou (China)," Studies on the Agricultural and Food Sector in Transition Economies, Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), volume 73, number 73.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    poverty; ethnic minorities; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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