| ID | 187914 |
| Title Proper | Fleshing out the olive? Observations on income polarization in China since 1981 |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Ravallion, Martin |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | In a rare example of a national goal for income distribution besides reducing poverty (for which there is a broad consensus), China's leadership committed in 2021 to attaining a less polarized “olive-shaped” distribution. The paper argues that the Foster-Wolfson polarization curve and index are well suited to quantifying this goal. New estimates indicate that polarization has been on a rising trend since 1981, but with a de-polarizing reversal emerging around 2009. There is no robust time-series evidence of polarizing effects of economic growth, poverty reduction or population urbanization. Larger urban-rural gaps in mean incomes have been strongly polarizing. |
| `In' analytical Note | China Economic Review Vol. 76; Dec 2022: p.101871 |
| Journal Source | China Economic Review 2022-11 76 |
| Key Words | China ; Polarization ; Inequality ; Growth |