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The brink of poverty: Implementation of a social assistance programme in rural China

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  • Kuhn, Lena
  • Brosig, Stephan
  • Zhang, Linxiu

Abstract

The Rural Minimum Living Standard is an important component of social security in rural areas of China, as it provides social assistance to poor rural households. The country’s size and large development heterogeneities, however, make the policy’s implementation a challenging task. Using quantitative and qualitative data from rural households and administrators in five provinces, we identify the pitfalls of multi-level implementation along with the difficulty of measuring income in rural, underdeveloped areas as key sources of an implementation gap that has led to a considerable degree of misallocation of monetary transfers. Changes in the budgeting process and the distribution method might improve the anti-poverty effect of social assistance without having to carry out additional monitoring.

Suggested Citation

  • Kuhn, Lena & Brosig, Stephan & Zhang, Linxiu, 2016. "The brink of poverty: Implementation of a social assistance programme in rural China," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 45(1), pages 75-108.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:167593
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    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Rogers & Jie Li & Kevin Lo & Hua Guo & Cong Li, 2020. "China’s rapidly evolving practice of poverty resettlement: Moving millions to eliminate poverty," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 38(5), pages 541-554, September.
    2. Han, Huawei & Gao, Qin, 2019. "Community-based welfare targeting and political elite capture: Evidence from rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 145-159.
    3. Georgina Davie & Mark Wang & Sarah Rogers & Jie Li, 2021. "Targeted Poverty Alleviation in China: A Typology of Official–Household Relations," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 21(3), pages 244-263, July.

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