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 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, two lessons for Africa stand out. The first is the initial 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.
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| Format: | Journal Article biblioteca |
| Language: | EN |
| Published: |
2009
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| Subjects: | Public Administration, Public Sector Accounting and Audits H830, Measurement and Analysis of Poverty I320, Welfare and Poverty: Government Programs, Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs I380, Economic Development: Human Resources, Human Development, Income Distribution, Migration O150, Formal and Informal Sectors, Shadow Economy, Institutional Arrangements O170, Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions: Consumer Economics, Health, Education and Training: Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Poverty P360, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4864 |
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| Summary: | At the outset of China's reform period, the country had a far higher poverty rate than 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, two lessons for Africa stand out. The first is the initial 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. |
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