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Globalization and Inequality: Evidence from Within China

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Author Info
Shang-Jin Wei
Yi Wu

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Abstract

In this paper, we provide a case study of the impact of globalization on income inequality using data across Chinese regions. The literature on cross-country studies has been criticized because differences in legal systems and other institutions across countries are difficult to control for, and the inequality data across countries may not be compatible. An in-depth case study of a particular country's experience can provide a useful complement to cross-country regressions. We construct a measure of urban-rural income ratio for 100 or so Chinese cities (urban areas and adjacent rural counties) over the period 1988-1993. The central finding is that cities that experience a greater degree of openness in trade also tend to demonstrate a greater decline in urban-rural income inequality. Thus, globalization has helped to reduce, rather than increase, the urban-rural income inequality. This pattern in the data suggests that inferences based solely on China's national aggregate figures (overall openness and overall inequality) can be misleading. The negative association between openness and inequality holds up when we apply a geography-based instrumental variable approach to correct for possible endogeneity of a region's trade openness.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 8611.

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Date of creation: Nov 2001
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:8611

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F1 - International Economics - - Trade
O1 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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References listed on IDEAS
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(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. Roberto Ezcurra & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2009. "Does Decentralization Matter for Regional Disparities? A Cross-Country Analysis," SERC Discussion Papers 0025, Spatial Economics Research Centre, LSE. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Reuter & Ulrich, 2004. "The Effects of Intraregional Disparities on Regional Development in China: Inequality Decomposition and Panel-Data Analysis," Econometric Society 2004 Far Eastern Meetings 716, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
  3. Reuter, Ulrich, 2006. "What Kind of Education Does China Need? The Impact of Educational Attainment on Local Growth and Disparities," Working Papers RP2006/127, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER). [Downloadable!]
  4. Arnaud Costinot & Jonathan Vogel, 2009. "Matching and Inequality in the World Economy," NBER Working Papers 14672, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Jomo K.S., 2006. "Growth with Equity in East Asia?," Working Papers 33, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs. [Downloadable!]
  6. Yang, Ling & Lahr, Michael/L, 2008. "Interregiona;Decomposition of labor productivity differences in China, 1987-1997," MPRA Paper 8313, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  7. Francesc Obiols-Homs, 2002. "Trade Effects on the Personal Distribution of Wealth," Working Papers 0208, Centro de Investigacion Economica, ITAM. [Downloadable!]
  8. Shang-Jin Wei, 2002. "China as a Window to the World: Trade Openness, Living Standards and Income Inequality," RBA Annual Conference Volume, in: David Gruen & Terry O'Brien & Jeremy Lawson (ed.), Globalisation, Living Standards and Inequality: Recent Progress and Continuing Challenges Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  9. 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!]
  10. Daehaeng Kim & Chul-In Lee, 2007. "Government Size and Intersectoral Income Fluctuation: An International Panel Analysis," IMF Working Papers 07/93, International Monetary Fund. [Downloadable!]
  11. Chen, Yiu Por & Liu, Mingxing & Zhang, Qi, 2006. "Development of Financial Intermediation and the Dynamics of Rural-Urban Inequality: China, 1978-98," Working Papers RP2006/65, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER). [Downloadable!]
  12. Fu, Feng-Cheng & Vijverberg, Chu-Ping C. & Vijverberg, Wim P. M., 2004. "Public Infrastructure as a Determinant of Intertemporal and Interregional Productive Performance in China," IZA Discussion Papers 1019, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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  15. Changkyu Choi, 2006. "Does foreign direct investment affect domestic income inequality?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 13(12), pages 811-814, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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