Book
Inequality and Growth in Modern China

This volume provides comprehensive updated coverage of inequality and poverty issues in China. Some of the methodologies developed herein are published for the first time and may be used in other contexts and for other countries. The use of different data sources and state-of-art research techniques ensures that the findings and conclusions can be substantiated and that the policy recommendations are reliable and robust. Contributors to this volume are renowned experts in their respective areas, including, notably, Justin Lin, Xing Meng, Kai-yuen Tsui, and Guanghua Wan. For these reasons, those with an interest in income distribution in general and China's development in particular, will find this volume essential reading. Rapidly rising inequality in China has contributed to the sluggishness of domestic demand and emerging poverty. It has thus exerted considerable pressure for commodity exports and represents a root cause of increased trade disputes. These have profound ramifications for the US, EU, and other economies, and the international business community. Consequently, economists and sociologists, among others, are increasingly focused upon inequality and poverty issues in China and relevant policy implications. This volume, arising from a two-year UNU-WIDER project, addresses issues that include the inequality-growth relationship, regional/personal variation in incomes and human well-being such as education, the determinants of inequality and poverty or their changes, gaps in innovation capability, and the role played by China's development strategies in affecting inequality.

Table of contents
  1. The Inequality-Growth Nexus in the Short and Long Run: Empirical Evidence from China
    Guanghua Wan, Ming Lu, Zhao Chen
    More Working Paper | The Inequality-Growth Nexus in the Short and Long Runs
  2. Income Inequality in China and its Influencing Factors
    Xiaolu Wang
    More Working Paper | Income Inequality in China and its Influencing Factors
  3. Poverty Reduction in China: Trends and Causes
    Yin Zhang, Guanghua Wan
    More Working Paper | Poverty Reduction in China
  4. Development Strategies and Regional Income Disparities in China
    Justin Lin, Peilin Liu
    More Working Paper | Development Strategies and Regional Income Disparities in China
  5. Forces Shaping China's Interprovincial Inequality
    Kai-yuen Tsui
    More Working Paper | Forces Shaping China's Interprovincial Inequality
  6. Financial Development, Growth and Regional Disparity in Post-Reform China
    Zhicheng Liang
    More Working Paper | Financial Development, Growth, and Regional Disparity in Post-Reform China
  7. Spatial Convergence in China: 1952-99
    Patricio Aroca, Dong Guo, Geoffrey J. D. Hewings
    More Working Paper | Spatial Convergence in China: 1952-99
  8. China's Regional Inequality in Innovation Capability, 1995-2004
    Peilei Fan, Guanghua Wan
    More Working Paper | China's Regional Inequality in Innovation Capability, 1995-2004
  9. Widening Gap of Educational Opportunity?: A Longitudinal Study of Educational Inequality in China
    Min-Dong Lee
    More Working Paper | Widening Gap of Educational Opportunity?
  10. Poverty Accounting by Factor Components: With an Empirical Illustration using Chinese Data
    Guanghua Wan
    More Working Paper | Poverty Accounting by Factor Components
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Endorsements

'The chapters contained in this volume offer a comprehensive view of modern China’s experience with the triangle of growth, inequality, and poverty. They collectively provide valuable insights for other developing countries in the pursuit of inclusive growth strategies.' - Xianbin Yao, Director General, Regional and Sustainable Development Department, Asian Development Bank

'Over the past three decades, China has made huge strides in its battle against poverty as it has transformed into one of the most dynamic economies in the world. It will be harder for China to maintain its past rate of progress against poverty without addressing the problem of rising inequality. The book Inequality and Growth in Modern China provides a useful overall assessment about inequality in China, focus on inequality in view of the growing concerns with rising inequality, the cause and impacts of rising inequality, and its relation to overall growth and poverty reduction. It will not only help policy makers understand the inequality in China—but also be a useful pedagogical tool for Chinese and other researchers.' - Shaohua Chen, Senior Statistician, Development Research Group, the World Bank