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Let the Poor Talk About “Poverty”: Revisiting Poverty Alleviation in Rural China With Machine Learning

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  • Lisa Hoeschle
  • Shuang Liu
  • Xiaohua Yu

Abstract

To tackle lasting rural poverty and fully eradicate absolute poverty by 2020, the Chinese government introduced the “targeted poverty alleviation” (TPA) policy in 2013. Quantitative assessments prove the policy's success; yet multidimensional aspects and subjective perceptions of rural poverty are insufficiently accounted for. This study identifies discrepancies between the official eradication of poverty in China and households' subjective perceptions of the remaining dimensions of rural poverty through a qualitative analysis of the voices of rural residents. Drawing on data from focus group interviews in Hebei province, we employ a mixed‐method approach combining computational text mining and diagnostic qualitative data analysis. Identified key dimensions of rural poverty are insufficient income owing to the lack of ample employment opportunities, limited possibilities of income diversification, and the overall lag of rural economic development in the area of investigation; the shortage of supply of social security services, such as health care and pensions; and induced urban migration. Subjective perceptions of poverty entail components of absolute and relative poverty. The potential of the TPA to achieve long‐term and sustainable poverty alleviation is called into question, as structural root causes of rural poverty are insufficiently addressed. 为解决农村长期贫困问题并在2020年彻底消除绝对贫困, 中国政府于2013年出台了“精准扶贫”政策。定量评估证明了该政策的成功, 然而, 农村贫困的多维方面和主观感知尚未得到充分考虑。本研究通过对农村居民谈话进行定性分析, 识别了中国官方的贫困消除与“家庭对农村贫困其他维度的主观感知”之间的一系列差异。通过分析来自河北省的焦点小组访谈数据, 我们采用了一种由计算文本挖掘和诊断性定性数据分析组成的混合方法。识别的农村贫困关键维度包括:由于缺乏充足的就业机会而导致的收入不足、收入多样化的可能性有限、以及调查地区农村经济发展的总体滞后;医疗保健和养老服务等社会保障的供给短缺, 以及导致的城市流动。贫困的主观感知包括绝对贫困和相对贫困。由于农村贫困的结构性根源没有得到充分解决, 精准扶贫政策在实现长期且可持续减贫方面的潜力受到质疑。 Para abordar la pobreza rural persistente y erradicar por completo la pobreza absoluta para el año 2020, el gobierno chino emitió la política de “Alivio de la Pobreza Focalizada” (TPA, por sus siglas en inglés) en 2013. Las evaluaciones cuantitativas demuestran el éxito de la política, pero los aspectos multidimensionales y las percepciones subjetivas de la pobreza rural no se tienen suficientemente en cuenta. Este estudio identifica discrepancias entre la erradicación oficial de la pobreza en China y las percepciones subjetivas de los hogares sobre las dimensiones restantes de la pobreza rural a través del análisis cualitativo de las voces de los residentes rurales. Analizando datos de entrevistas de grupos focales en la provincia de Hebei, empleamos un enfoque de método mixto compuesto por minería de texto computacional y análisis de datos cualitativos de diagnóstico. Las dimensiones clave identificadas de la pobreza rural son los ingresos insuficientes debido a la falta de amplias oportunidades de empleo, las posibilidades limitadas de diversificación de ingresos y el rezago general del desarrollo económico rural en el área de investigación; la escasez de oferta de seguridad social, como atención médica y servicios de pensiones; y la migración urbana inducida. Las percepciones subjetivas de la pobreza implican componentes de pobreza absoluta y relativa. Se pone en duda el potencial del TPA para lograr un alivio de la pobreza sostenible y a largo plazo, ya que no se abordan suficientemente las causas estructurales de la pobreza rural.

Suggested Citation

  • Lisa Hoeschle & Shuang Liu & Xiaohua Yu, 2025. "Let the Poor Talk About “Poverty”: Revisiting Poverty Alleviation in Rural China With Machine Learning," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(2), June.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:povpop:v:17:y:2025:i:2:n:e70005
    DOI: 10.1002/pop4.70005
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