摘要
Since the late 1970s, with the rapid growth of China’s economy, the income levels of both urban and rural residents have risen significantly, and their standard of living has fundamentally improved. However, a disparity in income growth between the two exists, and the disparities in relative and absolute income have experienced a period of long-term expansion, which has led to the long-time widening of the consumption gap. There are several indicators of these disparities: the proportion of urban and rural consumption compared to the national level, the changes measured by the Engel’s coefficient, residents’ possession of consumer durables in the countryside, etc. The expanding disparity in consumption between urban and rural residents is neither conducive to meeting aggregate domestic demand, nor to upgrading the industrial structure. In this regard, measures must be taken to curb the expanding urban and rural income gap, so as to help rural incomes grow more quickly and further promote China’s economic growth and social stability.
Since the late 1970s, with the rapid growth of China’s economy, the income levels of both urban and rural residents have risen significantly, and their standard of living has fundamentally improved. However, a disparity in income growth between the two exists, and the disparities in relative and absolute income have experienced a period of long-term expansion, which has led to the long-time widening of the consumption gap. There are several indicators of these disparities: the proportion of urban and rural consumption compared to the national level, the changes measured by the Engel’s coefficient, residents’ possession of consumer durables in the countryside, etc. The expanding disparity in consumption between urban and rural residents is neither conducive to meeting aggregate domestic demand, nor to upgrading the industrial structure. In this regard, measures must be taken to curb the expanding urban and rural income gap, so as to help rural incomes grow more quickly and further promote China’s economic growth and social stability.
