Measurement and Decomposition of the Promoting Factors on China’s Rural Anti-Poverty Performance:1978-2014

By using China Yearbook of Household Survey and CHIPS’we measure,decompose,and test the pushing factors of rural anti-poverty’s performance.We find that the rural poverty rate fell,which benefited from the endogenous reform of land policy from 1978 to 1985,and from 1986 to 1993,China’s rural poverty rate was still falling rapidly,when economic growth played a leading role,but the marginal revenue was falling.Although rural areas had implemented development-oriented poverty relief and social relief during the period from 1994 to 2000,the poverty rate decline was not large,because negative effects from redistribution offset the contribution from economic growth.China’s rural poverty rate was rising slightly from 2001 to 2014,because the positive contribution from economic growth was falling and the effects from income distribution originated from poverty reduction aiming mechanism were low,which led to a falling composite contribution rate.Throughout the 30 years’strategy and path of anti-poverty,we find that economic growth has been playing the dominant role,and as the poverty rate and poverty gap rebound,the contribution from income distribution and redistribution in reducing poverty will rise.The government should increase investment in rural public products and public services to optimize the path and strategy of rural anti-poverty.