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China's Economic Growth: Trajectories and Evolving Institutions

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  • Jun Zhang

Abstract

This paper investigates the institutional reason underlying the change in the trajectory of economic growth in post-reform China, and argues that the trajectory of growth was much more normal during the period of 1978-89 than in the post-1989 era. In the former period, growth was largely induced by equality-generating institutional change in agriculture and the emergence of non-state industrial sector. In the latter period, growth was triggered by the acceleration of capital investments under authoritarian decentralized hierarchy within self-contained regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Jun Zhang, 2008. "China's Economic Growth: Trajectories and Evolving Institutions," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2008-33, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:rp2008-33
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/rp2008-33.pdf
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    Keywords

    Economic development; Decision making (Finance; Public); Institutional economics; Political science;
    All these keywords.

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