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The Evolution of Income Inequality in Rural China

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Author Info
Benjamin, Dwayne
Brandt, Loren
Giles, John

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Abstract

In this article we analyze trends in income inequality and the distribution of income in rural China from 1987 to 1999. We find an uneven but long-run increase in inequality in rural China and show that nearly half of the rural population was not much better off in 1999 than at the start of the period. We rule out geography as the most important factor for explaining income differences and the increases that occurred over time. Much more important were growing differences between households living in the same village, province, or region. We also find that access to nonagricultural incomes from local wage employment and family businesses contributes to inequality but that employment outside the county in which a household lives and accessed through temporary migration is relatively equalizing. Finally, we document important strengths and weaknesses of the primary data set used for our analyses relative to other data sources available for study of inequality and poverty in rural China.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by University of Chicago Press in its journal Economic Development and Cultural Change.

Volume (Year): 53 (2005)
Issue (Month): 4 (July)
Pages: 769-824
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Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:y:2005:v:53:i:4:p:769-824

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Ravallion, Martin & Chen, Shaohua, 1999. " When Economic Reform Is Faster Than Statistical Reform: Measuring and Explaining Income Inequality in Rural China," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 61(1), pages 33-56, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Azizur Rahman Khan & Keith Griffin & Carl Riskin, 1999. "Income Distribution in Urban China during the Period of Economic Reform and Globalization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 296-300, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Cai, Fang & Wang, Dewen & Du, Yang, 2002. "Regional disparity and economic growth in China: The impact of labor market distortions," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(2-3), pages 197-212. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Rawski, Thomas G., 2001. "What is happening to China's GDP statistics?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 347-354. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Haddad, Lawrence & Kanbur, Ravi, 1990. "How Serious Is the Neglect of Intra-Household Inequality?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 100(402), pages 866-81, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Benjamin, Dwayne & Brandt, Loren, 1997. "Land, Factor Markets, and Inequality in Rural China: Historical Evidence," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 460-494, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Hare, Denise, 1994. "Rural nonagricultural activities and their impact on the distribution of income: Evidence from farm households in Southern China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 59-82. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Esther Duflo, 2000. "Inequality and Growth: What Can the Data Say?," NBER Working Papers 7793, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. Philippe Aghion & Eve Caroli & Cecilia Garcia-Penalosa, 1999. "Inequality and Economic Growth: The Perspective of the New Growth Theories," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 1615-1660, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. Jeff Dayton-Johnson & Pranab Bardhan, 2002. "Inequality And Conservation On The Local Commons: A Theoretical Exercise," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(481), pages 577-602, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Angus Deaton, 2003. "Measuring Poverty in a Growing World (or Measuring Growth in a Poor World)," NBER Working Papers 9822, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Jonathan Morduch & Terry Sicular, 2002. "Rethinking Inequality Decomposition, With Evidence from Rural China," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(476), pages 93-106, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  13. Loren Brandt & Dwayne Benjamin, 2002. "Property Rights, Labour Markets, and Efficiency in a Transition Economy: The Case of Rural China," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 518, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross Business School. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  14. Ravallion, Martin & Shaohua Chen, 1998. "When economic reform is faster than statistical reform - measuring and explaining inequality in rural China," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1902, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  15. Rozelle Scott, 1994. "Rural Industrialization and Increasing Inequality: Emerging Patterns in China's Reforming Economy," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 362-391, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Kanbur, Ravi & Zhang, Xiaobo, 1999. "Which Regional Inequality? The Evolution of Rural-Urban and Inland-Coastal Inequality in China from 1983 to 1995," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 686-701, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Kai-yuen, Tsui, 1998. "Trends and Inequalities of Rural Welfare in China: Evidence from Rural Households in Guangdong and Sichuan," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 783-804, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Shorrocks, Anthony F, 1983. "The Impact of Income Components on the Distribution of Family Incomes," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 98(2), pages 311-26, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Deininger, Klaus & Squire, Lyn, 1996. "A New Data Set Measuring Income Inequality," World Bank Economic Review, Oxford University Press, vol. 10(3), pages 565-91, September.
  20. Chen, Shaohua & Ravallion, Martin, 1996. "Data in transition: Assessing rural living standards in Southern China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 23-56. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Gustafsson, Bjorn & Shi, Li, 2002. "Income inequality within and across counties in rural China 1988 and 1995," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 179-204, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Shorrocks, A F, 1982. "Inequality Decomposition by Factor Components," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(1), pages 193-211, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Jean-Yves Duclos & Abdelkrim Araaryand & John Giles, 2006. "Chronic and Transient Poverty: Measurement and Estimation, with Evidence from China," Working Papers 35, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Alberto, Gabriele & Schettino, Francesco, 2006. "Child Mortality In China And Vietnam In A Comparative Perspective," MPRA Paper 3987, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Dec 2006. [Downloadable!]
  3. Niny Khor & John Pencavel, 2006. "Income Mobility of Individuals in China and the United States," IZA Discussion Papers 2003, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  4. Shahin Yaqub, 2003. "Relating Severe Poverty and Chronic Poverty," Working Papers wpdea0307, Department of Applied Economics at Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona. [Downloadable!]
  5. Sangui Wang & Dwayne Benjamin & Loren Brandt & John Giles & Yingxing Li & Yun Li, 2007. "Inequality and Poverty in China during Reform," Cahiers de recherche PMMA 2007-07, PEP-PMMA. [Downloadable!]
  6. Sylvie Demurger & Martin Fournier & Shi Li, 2006. "Urban income inequality in China revisited (1988–2002)," Post-Print halshs-00120375_v1, HAL. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Zhong Zhao, 2007. "Earnings Instability and Earnings Inequality in Urban China: 1989-2006," IZA Discussion Papers 3270, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  8. James K. Galbraith & Ludmila Krytynskaia & Qifei Wang, 2004. "The Experience of Rising Inequality in Russia and China during the Transition," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 1(1), pages 87-106, June. [Downloadable!]
  9. Dwayne Benjamin & Loren Brandt & John Giles & Sangui Wang, 2005. "Income Inequality During China's Economic Transition," Working Papers tecipa-238, University of Toronto, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  10. Thi Kim Cuong PHAM, 2004. "Wealth distribution, endogenous fiscal policy and growth: status-seeking implications," Working Papers of BETA 2004-11, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, ULP, Strasbourg. [Downloadable!]
  11. Ravallion, Martin & Shaohua Chen, 2004. "China's (uneven) progress against poverty," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3408, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  12. Alan de Brauw & John Giles, 2006. "Migrant Opportunity and the Educational Attainment of Youth in Rural China," IZA Discussion Papers 2326, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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