Towards 2030 – China’s Poverty Alleviation And Global Poverty Governance (international Research On Poverty Reduction)

This book assesses the global significance of China{u2019}s decade-long campaign to reduce poverty. After showing how the country{u2019}s unique approach to poverty alleviation brought about unparalleled progress toward achieving both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the authors shed light on how China{u2019}s experience can help other countries around the globe as they try to permanently rid humanity of the scourge of poverty under ever more challenging social, economic and environmental conditions Contents 6 1 China’s Success in Poverty Reduction and Its Contribution to Worldwide Progress Toward MDGs 10 1.1 MDG Poverty-Reduction Targets: Background, Action Plans and Achievements 10 1.1.1 Launch of the Targets 10 1.1.2 Global Actions Toward Poverty Reduction 12 1.1.3 Progress of MDGs in Poverty Reduction 15 1.2 China’s Progress Toward MDGs in Poverty Reduction 16 1.2.1 The Poor Population Dropped Significantly and the Basic Needs of Rural Residents have been Basically Met 16 1.2.2 Increasing Income of the Poor Population, Thanks to Various Anti-poverty Policies 19 1.2.3 Remarkable Improvement in Production and Living Conditions in Poverty-Stricken Areas 21 1.2.4 Rising Education Level of the Poor People 21 1.2.5 Constantly Improving Social Safety Net in Poverty-Stricken Areas 22 1.3 China’s Contribution to Global Poverty Reduction 23 1.3.1 Theoretical Contribution 23 1.3.2 Practical Contribution 26 1.4 Conclusions and Discussion 27 References 29 2 SDGs in Poverty Reduction: Substance and Policy Options 30 2.1 Poverty-Reduction Targets: Substance and Connections 31 2.1.1 Poverty-Reduction Targets 32 2.1.2 Domestic System 32 2.1.3 Fundraising and International Cooperation 32 2.2 Understanding and Assessing Poverty in All Its Forms 33 2.2.1 Meaning of “Poverty in All Its Forms” 33 2.2.2 Measurement of Poverty in All Its Forms 34 2.2.3 Combination of Basic Needs with Basic Capabilities to Measure Poverty in All Its Forms 34 2.3 Pro-poor Universal Social Protection Systems 36 2.4 Equal Rights to Economic Resources and Basic Services 37 2.5 Build the Resilience of the Poor Against Risks 39 2.5.1 Tackling Climate Change 40 2.5.2 Tackling Economic Risks 40 2.5.3 Tackling Disease-Related Risks 41 2.6 Conclusions and Discussions 41 References 42 3 Poverty in China and the Challenge of the 2030 Poverty Eradication Targets 44 3.1 China’s Poverty Line 44 3.1.1 China’s Rural Poverty Line 45 3.1.2 Registration Standard for Poor Households in Rural China (Poverty Identification) 46 3.1.3 Poverty Delisting Criteria in Rural Areas 47 3.2 Poverty in China Today 49 3.2.1 Income/Consumption-Based Poverty 49 3.2.2 Multidimensional Poverty 50 3.3 Challenges of Eradicating Poverty by 2030 52 3.3.1 Alleviating Regional Relative Poverty 52 3.3.2 Development of the Vulnerable People 53 3.3.3 Narrower Income Gap 55 3.3.4 Poverty Due to Disease and Incapability Due to Old Age 57 3.3.5 Lack of Assets and Economic Resources 59 3.3.6 The Human Capital Gap 61 3.4 Conclusions and Discussions 62 References 63 4 Development-Oriented Poverty Reduction: A System with Chinese Characteristics 64 4.1 Multidimensionality of the Definition of “Poverty” 64 4.2 Establishing Special Government Agencies that Transcend Ministerial Divisions 66 4.3 Formulating Specific Strategies for Poverty Reduction 69 4.3.1 The Seven-Year Program for Lifting 80 Million People Out of Poverty (1994–2000) 70 4.3.2 The Outline for Development-Oriented Poverty Alleviation for China’s Rural Areas (2001–2010) 74 4.3.3 The Outline for Development-Oriented Poverty Reduction for China’s Rural Areas (2011–2020) 78 4.4 Promoting Region-Wide Development-Oriented Poverty Reduction 81 4.4.1 Infrastructure Connectivity 82 4.4.2 Equitable Access to Public Services 82 4.4.3 Poverty Reduction Through Ecological Conservation 83 4.5 Precision-Targeted Poverty Alleviation Strategies 86 4.5.1 Implications 87 4.5.2 Goals 88 4.5.3 Fundamental Principles 88 4.5.4 Targeted Poverty-Reduction Programs 90 4.5.5 Establish Poverty Identification, Assistance, Assessment and Accountability Mechanisms 93 References 95 5 System of Development-Oriented Poverty-Reduction Policies in China 96 5.1 Pro-poor Economic Growth Policies 96 5.1.1 Is China’s Economic Growth Pro-poor? 96 5.1.2 Policies Conducive to Pro-poor Growth in China 99 5.2 Social Policies that Facilitate Inclusive Development 102 5.2.1 Policies for Poverty Reduction Through Education 103 5.2.2 Policies for Poverty Reduction Through Health Promotion 106 5.2.3 Social Security Policies 108 5.3 Anti-poverty Projects and Initiatives 109 5.3.1 Work Relief Programs 110 5.3.2 Policies to Support the Development in Economically Underdeveloped Areas 111 5.3.3 Policies on the Interest Subsidies for Poverty-Relief Loans and the Microloans 113 References 113 6 China’s Poverty Reduction Outlook: 2021–2030 115 6.1 Background 115 6.1.1 Per Capita GDP to Reach USD 10,000 116 6.1.2 Urban Residents Accounting for Over 60% of the Total Population 117 6.1.3 Prominent Aging Problem 117 6.1.4 Rising Dependency Ratio as a Result of the “Two-Child Policy” 118 6.1.5 Ecological Challenges for Poverty Reduction 118 6.2 New Poverty Line: 2030 and Beyond 119 6.2.1 Basic Approaches to Defining the Poverty Line 119 6.2.2 China’s Poverty Policy Options for 2030 123 6.3 Coordinating Poverty Reduction in Urban and Rural Areas 126 6.3.1 Poverty Monitoring for Both Urban and Rural Residents 126 6.3.2 Unified Poverty Standards for Both Urban and Rural Residents 126 6.3.3 Coordinated Urban–Rural Poverty-Reduction Strategies 127 6.4 Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development 127 6.4.1 Establish an Institutional Framework Featuring Close Integration of Poverty Reduction with Sustainable Development 127 6.4.2 Establish the PPES Mechanism 128 6.4.3 Promote Carbon Financing Innovation and “Low-Carbon Poverty Reduction” 128 References 130 7 Reflections on the Current State of Global Poverty Governance 131 7.1 An Overview of Global Poverty Governance 131 7.1.1 International Poverty Reduction Agencies 131 7.1.2 Evolution of Global Poverty Governance 132 7.1.3 Development Trend of Global Poverty Governance 134 7.2 Representative International Multilateral Organizations and Their Poverty-Reduction Strategies 136 7.2.1 HIPC Program 136 7.2.2 Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust 137 7.2.3 Poverty-Reduction Strategy Plan 137 7.2.4 OECD-DAC 138 7.3 Challenges Facing Global Poverty Governance 139 7.3.1 Stubbornly Large Poor Population 139 7.3.2 Failure in Delivering Structural Adjustment Dividends to the Poor 140 7.3.3 Limited Role of Good Governance 140 7.3.4 Declining Bilateral Aids 141 7.3.5 Dissimilation of Poverty-Reduction Projects 142 7.4 Summary 143 References 143 Front Matter ....Pages i-viii China’s Success in Poverty Reduction and Its Contribution to Worldwide Progress Toward MDGs (Xiaolin Wang, Xiaoying Zhang)....Pages 1-20 SDGs in Poverty Reduction: Substance and Policy Options (Xiaolin Wang, Xiaoying Zhang)....Pages 21-34 Poverty in China and the Challenge of the 2030 Poverty Eradication Targets (Xiaolin Wang, Xiaoying Zhang)....Pages 35-54 Development-Oriented Poverty Reduction: A System with Chinese Characteristics (Xiaolin Wang, Xiaoying Zhang)....Pages 55-86 System of Development-Oriented Poverty-Reduction Policies in China (Xiaolin Wang, Xiaoying Zhang)....Pages 87-105 China’s Poverty Reduction Outlook: 2021–2030 (Xiaolin Wang, Xiaoying Zhang)....Pages 107-122 Reflections on the Current State of Global Poverty Governance (Xiaolin Wang, Xiaoying Zhang)....Pages 123-136