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Are there lessons for africa from China's success against poverty ?

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  • Ravallion, Martin

Abstract

At the outset of China's reform period, the country had a far higher poverty rate than for Africa as a whole. Within five years that was no longer true. This paper tries to explain how China escaped from a situation in which extreme poverty persisted due to failed and unpopular policies. While acknowledging that Africa faces constraints that China did not, and that context matters, two lessons stand out. The first is the importance of productivity growth in smallholder agriculture, which will require both market-based incentives and public support. The second is the role played by strong leadership and a capable public administration at all levels of government.

Suggested Citation

  • Ravallion, Martin, 2008. "Are there lessons for africa from China's success against poverty ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4463, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:4463
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Rural Poverty Reduction; Population Policies; Achieving Shared Growth; Services&Transfers to Poor;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

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