IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i13p6033-d1692233.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessing Rural Development Vulnerability Index: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Post-Poverty Alleviation Areas in Hunan, China

Author

Listed:
  • Guangyu Li

    (School of Architecture and Planning, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Shaoyao He

    (School of Architecture and Planning, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Wei Ma

    (Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Zhenrong Huang

    (School of Architecture and Planning, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Yiyan Peng

    (School of Architecture and Planning, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Guosheng Ding

    (School of Architecture and Planning, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

Abstract

Rural post-poverty alleviation areas are not on a solid developmental footing and therefore remain at risk of returning to poverty in the midst of rapid urbanization. Vulnerability assessment of socio-ecological systems is critical for identifying risks and enhancing resilience in rural areas transitioning out of poverty. Based on research data from 2012, 2017, and 2022 in the post-poverty alleviation areas of Hunan Province, this research establishes a Vulnerability-Scoping-Diagram (VSD) assessment framework for rural development vulnerability and Spatially-Explicit-Resilience-Vulnerability (SERV) analysis model from a socio-ecological system perspective. It comprehensively analyzes the spatial and temporal variations of the Rural Development Vulnerability Index (RDVI) in the study area. Geodetector is used to explore the main factors influencing the spatial and temporal variability of RDVI, and vulnerability type zones are classified by combining the dominant elements method. The findings indicate that: (1) The rural development vulnerability index of post-poverty alleviation areas in Hunan Province has obvious characteristics of spatial and temporal differentiation. The RDVI in western Hunan and southern Hunan is always high, while the RDVI in ChangZhuTan and Dongting Lake regions decreases year by year. (2) The RDVI of post-poverty alleviation areas in Hunan Province is determined by the three dimensions of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability, exhibiting significant spatial and temporal variations. (3) Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that areas with similar rural socio-ecological vulnerability in post-poverty alleviation areas of Hunan Province were significantly clustered spatially. (4) The core influencing factors of RDVI in Hunan’s post-poverty alleviation areas have shifted from natural disaster risk to multiple risk dimensions encompassing social resource load and ecological environment risk superimposition, resulting in more complex and diversified influencing factors. (5) By combining results from the RDVI assessment with the dominant elements method, the regions can be classified into multiple vulnerability type districts dominated by multiple elements or single-element dominance, leading to corresponding development suggestions. The study aims to examine the process of changes in vulnerability within rural development in post-poverty alleviation areas and its causal factors from a socio-ecological system perspective. This will provide a foundation for policy formulation to consolidate the results of post-poverty alleviation and promote the sustainable development of rural areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Guangyu Li & Shaoyao He & Wei Ma & Zhenrong Huang & Yiyan Peng & Guosheng Ding, 2025. "Assessing Rural Development Vulnerability Index: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Post-Poverty Alleviation Areas in Hunan, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-29, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:6033-:d:1692233
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/6033/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/6033/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hong Sun & Xiaohong Li & Wenjing Li, 2020. "The Nexus between Credit Channels and Farm Household Vulnerability to Poverty: Evidence from Rural China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-18, April.
    2. Runqiao Zhang & Yawen He & Wenkai Cui & Ziwen Yang & Jingyu Ma & Haonan Xu & Duxian Feng, 2022. "Poverty-Returning Risk Monitoring and Analysis of the Registered Poor Households Based on BP Neural Network and Natural Breaks: A Case Study of Yunyang District, Hubei Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Uche Ozughalu, 2016. "Relationship Between Household Food Poverty and Vulnerability to Food Poverty: Evidence from Nigeria," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 125(2), pages 567-587, January.
    4. Wanli Ma & Liangze Mu, 2024. "China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy: Sustainable Development, Welfare, and Poverty Alleviation," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 174(2), pages 743-767, September.
    5. Yuping Yang & Xiaodong Guo, 2020. "Universal basic education and the vulnerability to poverty: evidence from compulsory education in rural China," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 611-633, October.
    6. Pascual Fernández Martínez & Mónica de Castro-Pardo & Víctor Martín Barroso & João C. Azevedo, 2020. "Assessing Sustainable Rural Development Based on Ecosystem Services Vulnerability," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-23, July.
    7. Ren, Xiaohang & Xiao, Ya & Xiao, Shitong & Jin, Yi & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2024. "The effect of climate vulnerability on global carbon emissions: Evidence from a spatial convergence perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    8. Arouri, Mohamed & Nguyen, Cuong & Youssef, Adel Ben, 2015. "Natural Disasters, Household Welfare, and Resilience: Evidence from Rural Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 59-77.
    9. Xiaowen Xie & Saran Sarntisart & Md. Nasir Uddin, 2023. "The Impact of Education Investment on Regional Poverty Alleviation, Dynamic Constraints, and Marginal Benefits: A Case Study of Yunnan’s Poor Counties," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-20, January.
    10. Shijiang Chen & Mingyue Liang & Wen Yang, 2022. "Does Digital Financial Inclusion Reduce China’s Rural Household Vulnerability to Poverty: An Empirical Analysis From the Perspective of Household Entrepreneurship," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, June.
    11. Yao-bin Wang & Jin-hang Zhao & Rong Yao & Rui-tao Zhao & Ying Li, 2022. "Risk of Poverty Returning to the Tibetan Area of Gansu Province in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-21, September.
    12. Jianling Qi & Huanjiao Li & Wenlong Li & Jing Jin & Feng Ye, 2024. "The Influence of Digital Skills on Farm Households’ Vulnerability to Relative Poverty: Implications for the Sustainability of Farmers’ Livelihoods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-18, September.
    13. Dzator, Janet & Acheampong, Alex O. & Appiah-Otoo, Isaac & Dzator, Michael, 2023. "Leveraging digital technology for development: Does ICT contribute to poverty reduction?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(4).
    14. Shobha Poudel & Shinya Funakawa & Hitoshi Shinjo & Bhogendra Mishra, 2020. "Understanding households’ livelihood vulnerability to climate change in the Lamjung district of Nepal," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 8159-8182, December.
    15. Azeem, Muhammad Masood & Mugera, Amin W. & Schilizzi, Steven, 2016. "Poverty and vulnerability in the Punjab, Pakistan: A multilevel analysis," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 57-72.
    16. Qihang Li & Peng Sun & Bo Li & Muhammad Mohiuddin, 2022. "Impact of Climate Change on Rural Poverty Vulnerability from an Income Source Perspective: A Study Based on CHIPS2013 and County-Level Temperature Data in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-22, March.
    17. Frigerio, Ivan & De Amicis, Mattia, 2016. "Mapping social vulnerability to natural hazards in Italy: A suitable tool for risk mitigation strategies," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 187-196.
    18. Zhang, Qingyu & Liang, Yuting & Zhou, Maosen, 2025. "Alleviating poverty for common prosperity: The role of Fupinguan in an E-tailing supply chain," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 320(1), pages 101-114.
    19. McCulloch, Neil & Calandrino, Michele, 2003. "Vulnerability and Chronic Poverty in Rural Sichuan," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 611-628, March.
    20. Sabine Weiland & Thomas Hickmann & Markus Lederer & Jens Marquardt & Sandra Schwindenhammer, 2021. "The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Transformative Change through the Sustainable Development Goals?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(1), pages 90-95.
    21. Creighton Connolly & Roger Keil & S. Harris Ali, 2021. "Extended urbanisation and the spatialities of infectious disease: Demographic change, infrastructure and governance," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(2), pages 245-263, February.
    22. Sabine Weiland & Thomas Hickmann & Markus Lederer & Jens Marquardt & Sandra Schwindenhammer, 2021. "The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Transformative Change through the Sustainable Development Goals?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(1), pages 90-95.
    23. Dilshad Ahmad & Sidra Khurshid & Muhammad Afzal, 2024. "Climate change vulnerability and multidimensional poverty in flood prone rural areas of Punjab, Pakistan: an application of multidimensional poverty index and livelihood vulnerability index," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(5), pages 13325-13352, May.
    24. Jacqueline Best, 2013. "Redefining Poverty as Risk and Vulnerability: shifting strategies of liberal economic governance," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(1), pages 109-129.
    25. Jhon Edwar Hernández & Blanca Zuluaga, 2022. "Vulnerability to Multidimensional Poverty: An Application to Colombian Households," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 345-371, November.
    26. Zhang, Yunhui & Zhao, Wei, 2024. "Social capital's role in mitigating economic vulnerability: Understanding the impact of income disparities on farmers' livelihoods," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhaohua Zhang & Yuxi Luo & Derrick Robinson, 2018. "Reducing Food Poverty and Vulnerability among the Rural Elderly with Chronic Diseases: The Role of the New Rural Pension Scheme in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-20, June.
    2. Muhammad Masood Azeem & Amin W. Mugera & Steven Schilizzi & Kadambot H. M. Siddique, 2017. "An Assessment of Vulnerability to Poverty in Punjab, Pakistan: Subjective Choices of Poverty Indicators," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 117-152, October.
    3. El Houcine Akhnif & Abdelouahab Belmadani & Awad Mataria & Maryam Bigdeli, 2024. "UHC in Morocco: a bottom-up estimation of public hospitals' financing size based on a costing database," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    4. Danieli Soares Oliveira & Raynara Souza Nascimento & Clainer Bravin Donadel, 2025. "Aloe Vera in Water Treatment: Toward a Greener Future for Environmental Engineering," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-17, May.
    5. Nuno M. David & Isabel Loupa‐Ramos & Jorge B. Silva, 2024. "Navigating governance with sticks, carrots, and sermons: Paving paths for sustainable development goals through local spatial planning," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(6), pages 6374-6391, December.
    6. Muhammad Sajjad & Syed Hassan Raza & Asad Abbas Shah, 2024. "Assessing Response Readiness to Health Emergencies: A Spatial Evaluation of Health and Socio-Economic Justice in Pakistan," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 173(1), pages 169-199, May.
    7. Linmao Ma & Tonggen Ding & Jinsong Zhang, 2024. "Research on the Capability to Prevent Returning to Poverty and Its Enhancement Path for the Ecologically Fragile Areas: A Case Study of Enshi Prefecture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-36, June.
    8. Akbari, Pardis & Gkartzios, Menelaos & Bafarasat, Abbas Ziafati, 2025. "Making governments act on Sustainable Development Goals: The case of critical peer discourse in poverty relief," SocArXiv ga4sv_v1, Center for Open Science.
    9. Martinčević, Ivana & Primorac, Dinko & Bilić, Irena, 2025. "Sustainable Accounting in the Function of Sustainable Development," Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference (2024), Hybrid Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, in: Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference, Hybrid Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 5-7 September, 2024, pages 299-316, IRENET - Society for Advancing Innovation and Research in Economy, Zagreb.
    10. Zhengjie Zhang & Jiahao Song & Caixia Yan & Dingde Xu & Wei Wang, 2022. "Rural Household Differentiation and Poverty Vulnerability: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Field Survey in Hubei, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-15, April.
    11. Anh Thu Quang Pham & Pundarik Mukhopadhaya & Ha Vu, 2021. "Estimating poverty and vulnerability to monetary and non-monetary poverty: the case of Vietnam," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 61(6), pages 3125-3177, December.
    12. Anh Thu Quang Pham & Pundarik Mukhopadhaya & Ha Vu, 2020. "Targeting Administrative Regions for Multidimensional Poverty Alleviation: A Study on Vietnam," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 143-189, July.
    13. Monika Szopińska-Mularz & Anna Prokop & Milena Wikiera & Wiktoria Bukowy & Fredrik Forsman & Sol Vikström, 2025. "Adaptive Reuse of Urban Structures as a Driver of Sustainable Development Goals: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-28, May.
    14. Shital Jhunjhunwala & Sidra Fatima, 2025. "Two Decades of Research on the Relation of CSR With Earnings Management: Mapping Heterogeneity and Future AGENDA," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(3), pages 3438-3453, May.
    15. Ruxue Shi & Pingtao Yi & Weiwei Li & Qiankun Dong, 2024. "Sustainability evaluation based on the three-stage difference-driven model: a case study of the province, autonomous region, and municipality in Western China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(5), pages 11881-11911, May.
    16. Xianyu Hou & Luan Chen & Yaofu Huang & Ye Long & Xun Li, 2024. "The Path of Rural Social Capital Improvement in China from the Perspective of Planners: A Case Study of Hongtang Village in Yunnan Province," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-23, July.
    17. Zhaohua Zhang & Yuxi Luo & Derrick Robinson, 2020. "Do Social Pensions Help People Living on the Edge? Assessing Determinants of Vulnerability to Food Poverty Among the Rural Elderly," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(1), pages 198-219, January.
    18. Sunil Kumar & Ashish Sharma & Poornima Mishra & Nikhil Kaushik, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility disclosures and earnings management: a bibliometric analysis," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(1), pages 27-51, March.
    19. Azeem, Muhammad Masood & Mugera, Amin W. & Schilizzi, Steven, 2016. "Living on the edge: Household vulnerability to food-insecurity in the Punjab, Pakistan," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 1-13.
    20. Shu Guo & Xiaoying Li & Ning Cao & Ying Wang, 2023. "The Impact of Rural Tourism on the Poverty Vulnerability of Aging Rural Households," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-17, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:6033-:d:1692233. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.