Are There Lessons for Africa from China's Success Against Poverty?

At the outset of China's reform period, the country had a far higher poverty rate than for Africa as a whole. Within five years that was no longer true. This paper tries to explain how China escaped from a situation in which extreme poverty persisted due to failed and unpopular policies. While acknowledging that Africa faces constraints that China did not, and that context matters, two lessons stand out. The first is the importance of productivity growth in smallholder agriculture, which will require both market-based incentives and public support. The second is the role played by strong leadership and a capable public administration at all levels of government.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Ravallion, Martin
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2008-01
Subjects:	ABSOLUTE POVERTY, ABUSE, ADULT MORTALITY, AGGREGATE OUTPUT, AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, AGRICULTURAL GROWTH, AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, ANTI-POVERTY, AVERAGE GROWTH, AVERAGE GROWTH RATE, BASIC EDUCATION, BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE, BIRTH RATES, BLUEPRINT, CHILDREN PER COUPLE, CITIZENS, COLLECTIVE FARMING, COLLECTIVE FARMS, COLLECTIVE LAND, COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE, COMPARISON GROUP, CONFLICT, COUNTRY DATA, CROP LAND, CULTURAL CHANGE, CURRENT POPULATION, DEATH RATES, DEMOCRACY, DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPING COUNTRY, DEVELOPING WORLD, DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, DEVELOPMENT POLICIES, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTIONAL CHANGE, DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECT, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC LITERATURE, ECONOMIC POLICIES, ECONOMIC POLICY, ECONOMIC REFORM, EXCHANGE RATE, EXTERNAL TRADE, EXTREME POVERTY, FAMILY PLANNING, FAMINE, FARM GROWTH, FARM OUTPUT, FARM PRODUCTIVITY, FARM SECTOR, FARMERS, FARMING SYSTEMS, FARMLAND, FERTILITY, FERTILITY POLICIES, FERTILITY RATES, FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY, FIXED EFFECTS, FOOD AVAILABILITY, FOOD INSECURITY, FOOD OUTPUT, FOOD POLICY, FOOD PRICES, FOOD SECURITY, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, FOREIGN POLICY, FUTURE GROWTH, GEOGRAPHIC POVERTY TRAPS, GINI INDEX, GLOBAL ECONOMY, GLOBAL LEVEL, GLOBAL POVERTY, GROWTH PROCESS, GROWTH PROSPECTS, GROWTH RATE IN AGRICULTURE, GROWTH RATES, HEALTH CARE, HIGH INEQUALITY, HIGH INEQUALITY COUNTRIES, HIGHER INEQUALITY, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD WELFARE, HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, IMPACT ON POVERTY, INCOME, INCOME GROUPS, INCOME GROWTH, INCOME INEQUALITY, INDIVIDUAL FARMERS, INDUSTRIAL SECTOR, INDUSTRIALIZATION, INEQUALITY, INEQUALITY MEASURES, INEQUITIES, INFANT, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKETS, LANDHOLDINGS, LARGE CITIES, LEVEL OF FERTILITY, LIVING STANDARDS, LONG-RUN GROWTH, LOW FARM PRODUCTIVITY, LOW INEQUALITY, LOWER FERTILITY, MACROECONOMIC INSTABILITY, MACROECONOMIC STABILITY, MACROECONOMIC STABILIZATION, MARGINAL PRODUCT, MARKET ECONOMY, MEAN INCOME, MIGRANT, MIGRATION, MINORITY, MORTALITY, NATIONAL FERTILITY, NATIONAL POVERTY, NATIONAL POVERTY LINE, NATURAL DEATH, NATURAL RESOURCES, NUMBER OF PEOPLE, PACE OF URBANIZATION, PEACE, POLICY CHANGE, POLICY MAKERS, POLICY MESSAGES, POLICY REFORMS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLITICAL CHANGE, POLITICAL ECONOMY, POLITICAL LEADERSHIP, POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY, POLITICAL POWER, POOR, POOR COUNTRIES, POOR PEOPLE, POOR POLICIES, POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT, POPULATION DENSITY, POPULATION GROWTH, POPULATION GROWTH RATE, POPULATION SHARE, POPULOUS COUNTRY, POST-REFORM, POVERTY DEBATE, POVERTY DYNAMICS, POVERTY IMPACT, POVERTY INCIDENCE, POVERTY LINE, POVERTY MEASURES, POVERTY RATE, POVERTY RATES, POVERTY REDUCING, POVERTY REDUCTION, PRO-POOR, PRO-POOR GROWTH, PROGRESS, PUBLIC INVESTMENT, PUBLIC SPENDING, PUBLIC SUPPORT, PURCHASING POWER, PURCHASING POWER PARITY, RAPID GROWTH, RATE OF GROWTH, REDUCED INEQUALITY, REDUCED POVERTY, REDUCING POVERTY, RELATIVE PRICES, RESOURCE FLOWS, RESPECT, RURAL, RURAL AREAS, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, RURAL DIMENSION, RURAL ECONOMIC GROWTH, RURAL ECONOMIC REFORMS, RURAL ECONOMY, RURAL HINTERLAND, RURAL INCOME, RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE, RURAL LABOR, RURAL POLICIES, RURAL POOR, RURAL POPULATION, RURAL POVERTY, RURAL WORKERS, SECTORAL PRIORITIES, SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE, SMALLHOLDERS, SOCIAL POLICY, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SOCIAL SERVICES, SPILLOVER, STATE CAPACITY, STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT, TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, TRADE NEGOTIATIONS, TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE, UNSKILLED LABOR, URBAN AREAS, URBAN POPULATION, URBANIZATION,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2008/01/8962357/lessons-africa-chinas-success-against-poverty-lessons-africa-chinas-success-against-poverty https://hdl.handle.net/10986/6465
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