American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
The Effects of a Multifaceted Poverty Alleviation Program on Rural Income and Household Behavior in China
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 17,
no. 2, May 2025
(pp. 319–57)
Abstract
This study examines the effects of a government-led, large-scale, multifaceted poverty alleviation program on rural income in China. We find that the program has a positive impact on national key poor counties, with a 10.9 percent increase in rural income. This effect mainly arises via industrial support, agricultural development, and public service improvement. Poverty alleviation strategies consistent with local comparative advantages yield more significant effects. Household-level analyses suggest the program changes households' income and expenditure, and the effects are particularly substantial for the poorest households. The study provides novel insights and policy implications for China's recent experience with poverty alleviation.Citation
Li, Rui, Hong Song, Jun Zhang, and Junsen Zhang. 2025. "The Effects of a Multifaceted Poverty Alleviation Program on Rural Income and Household Behavior in China." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 17 (2): 319–57. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20210485Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H53 National Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
- I32 Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
- I38 Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
- O12 Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
- O18 Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
- P25 Socialist Systems and Transitional Economies: Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
- P36 Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions: Consumer Economics; Health; Education and Training: Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Poverty