Nottingham Centre for Research on
Globalisation and Economic Policy (GEP)

GEP Research Paper 06/46

Growing out of Poverty: Trends and Patterns of Urban Poverty in China 1988-2002

Simon Appleton, Lina Song and Qingjie Xia

Abstract

This paper estimates trends in absolute poverty in urban China from 1988 to 2002 using the Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP) surveys. Poverty incidence curves are plotted, showing that poverty has fallen markedly during the period regardless of the exact location of the poverty line. Income inequality rose from 1988 to 1995 but has been fairly constant thereafter. Models of the determination of income and poverty reveal widening differentials by education, sex and party membership. Income from government anti-poverty programs has little impact on poverty, which has fallen almost entirely due to overall economic growth rather than redistribution.

Issued in December 2006.

This paper is available in PDF format .

Nottingham Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy

Sir Clive Granger Building
University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

Enquiries: hilary.hughes@nottingham.ac.uk