The Road to Riches： Theoretical

Analysis of Poverty Alleviation in China

Lei Ming， Yao Xinyan et al.

Tsinghua University Press

July 2021

129.00 （CNY）

Brief introduction：

Based on China’s anti-poverty practice， the book systematically sums up China’s poverty alleviation policies and systems at the theoretical level from perspectives of" the theory of quasi-public goods and institutional changes. Through the overview on key concepts and theories of the book， the internal model of China’s anti-poverty experience is systematically summarized， and important topics related to effective poverty alleviation， including institutional support， path selection， incentive mechanisms， governance， endogenous power of the masses， etc.， are mainly studied. In addition， the book comprehensively investigates and analyzes roles of various subjects in anti-poverty practice and development， as well as the performance of government-led poverty alleviation and development with multi-subject cooperation and the people’s principal status as masters of the country， thus attempting to theoretically outline China’s poverty alleviation ecology， providing a local perspective on understanding China’s poverty alleviation and development， and setting an example for global poverty alleviation and development.

Lei Ming

Lei Ming， professor at the Guanghua School of Management， Peking University，director of the Institute on Poverty Research at Peking University （originally known as the Institute for Poor Area Development at Peking University）， and honorary professor at the University of Edinburgh， has long been engaged in research related to the sustainable development of impoverished regions in China.

Poverty remains one of the most acute social problems facing the world today. Eliminating poverty and narrowing the gap between the North and the South is one of humanity’s sustainable development goals. In essence， to eradicate poverty is to defend human rights --- the basic individual right of subsistence and development. Meanwhile， poverty is related to different subjects， with organizations and individuals at different levels， from state and community to family and individual， all holding different positions. Figuring out the causes and effects of poverty will help to put forward effective and feasible social policies to eradicate poverty and promote the sustainable development of all mankind.

China’s fight against poverty is “the fastest and largest poverty alleviation campaign in the history of humanity”. Since its founding in 1949， the People’s Republic of China has conducted over 70 years of poverty alleviation， from blazing a trail in the beginning to “crossing the river by feeling the stones” in the period of reform and opening up， then to the targeted poverty alleviation proposed in the 18th CPC National Congress， and to making decisive progress in ending poverty. Led by the Communist Party of China （CPC）， China and its people， relying on the socialist system with Chinese characteristics， have overcome many difficulties， made extraordinary achievements， and accumulated a lot of useful experience， thus making outstanding contributions to the cause of poverty alleviation around the world.

Since 1978， China’s population living in poverty has been reduced by 780 million. From 2012 to 2020， nearly 100 million people have been lifted out of poverty， with 832 counties and 128，000 villages on poverty list shaking off poverty. This marks a major victory of region-wide poverty alleviation and is appreciated all over the world.

To win the battle against poverty， China strives to achieve the goal of eradicating poverty for all poor people under the current standard by implementing targeted poverty alleviation and elimination strategies through development and security-oriented poverty alleviation. Rather than relieving poverty in the short term through external intervention in Western countries， China focuses on overall poverty elimination by giving full play to the people’s principal status as masters of the country and their endogenous powers. China’s strategy of targeted poverty alleviation can provide reference for poverty identification and tailored strategies in other developing countries. Meanwhile， China reduces poverty by the participation and coordination of the market and social organizations under the lead of the CPC and the government， which bring forth new ideas to the theory of global poverty reduction and to solve developmental problems. General Secretary Xi Jinping summarizes China’s experience in poverty alleviation by saying “In summary， the major methodology is to strengthen leadership of the CPC， the main approach is the targeted measure， guarantee is an increased investment， joint efforts are formed by all parties， and the foundation is mass participation”. Poverty alleviation and development with Chinese characteristics focuses on targeted and sustainable poverty alleviation， which is an important reference for developing countries to achieve economic transformation and poverty alleviation.

China’s achievements in poverty alleviation are bound up with the participation and collaboration of the government， market， society， and Chinese people. Under the leadership of the government， investment is made by the market and social organizations are giving priorities to poor areas in terms of capital， technology， and human resources， adhering to the poverty alleviation concept of co-construction， co-governance， and sharing. In addition， the people’s principal status as masters of the country is given full play in poverty eradication to pool wisdom and strength from all walks of life to overcome various difficulties and challenges.

China’s achievements in poverty alleviation are a miracle in the history of world poverty alleviation. As a firm supporter and active promoter of global poverty reduction and development， China， under the leadership of the CPC and the government， has laid down a unique path for eradicating poverty. In the future， China will continue to boost domestic rural revitalization， and strongly support South-South cooperation， thus making contributions to the reduction of global poverty.

Based on China’s anti-poverty practice， the book systematically sums up China’s poverty alleviation policies and systems at the theoretical level from perspectives of" the theory of quasi-public goods and institutional changes. Through the overview on key concepts and theories of the book， the internal model of China’s anti-poverty experience is systematically summarized， and important topics related to effective poverty alleviation， including institutional support， path selection， incentive mechanisms， governance， endogenous power of the masses， etc.， are mainly studied. In addition， the book comprehensively investigates and analyzes roles of various subjects in anti-poverty practice and development， as well as the performance of government-led poverty alleviation and development with multi-subject cooperation and the people’s principal status as masters of the country， thus attempting to theoretically outline China’s poverty alleviation ecology， providing a local perspective on understanding China’s poverty alleviation and development， and setting an example for the global poverty alleviation and development.

To systematically sum up practice experience of poverty alleviation at the theoretical level will not only widely apply the theory to the work of poverty alleviation and development， but also help make innovations and development to the theory， which shall further improve China’s research on theories of poverty alleviation. This process is of great theoretical and practical significance to implement the strategy of rural rejuvenation and build a moderately prosperous society in all respects， which is where the significance of the book’s studies lie.