Poverty in the People's Republic of China

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the poverty in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and its implications. The paper particularly focuses on urban poverty compared to rural poverty and the general feeling among the people in PRC regarding the two. It then looks at the political repercussions of the poverty in the PRC and the repression of dissent with regards to the poor.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Two Principal Opinions
Timeless, Ominous Signs
Urban Poverty
'Poverty Eradication' in the PRC
Political Repercussions of Poverty
Repression of Dissent and the Poor
Concluding Remarks

From the Paper:

"Dissent is alive and well in the contemporary PRC, much done to break up public displays of dissent, in very old methods of deterrence rooted in policing, courts and the prison system, presented to the literate public as ensuring safety when, in fact, assuring regime safety. Chinese to benefit from liberalization are rarely inclined to question what is occurring in the countryside, content to see the urban poor kept at bay. Many might regard the situation differently, as observed by foreign journalists, certainly, if able to recognize the potential threat of millions alienated completely from the economically advanced society, some able to draw parallels between the present and centuries of other Chinese misrule to perpetuate such disparities. As the topic of Chinese poverty indicates, democratization is not likely, any day soon, in the People's Republic of China. Indeed, policies and approaches of the state have systematically pushed millions of citizens beyond the existing political system, far from the ideals of inclusion and participation that might suggest a possible shift towards democratic institutions."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Banisar, D. (2003). The Great Firewall of China - Cyber-Policing Dissent. Amnesty Now. Spring: 24-26.
• Chu, L. and C. Chiang. Public Works and Poverty Eradication in Rural China. New York: New Science Publishers, 1996.
• Fan, S., L. Zhang and X. Zhang. (2004). Reforms, Investment and Poverty in Rural China. Development and Cultural Change. 52: 395-422.
• Human Rights in China. (2002). Shutting out the Poorest - Discrimination against the Most Disadvantaged Migrant Children in Urban Schools. New York: HRC.
• Li, L. (2003). The Empowering Effect of Village Elections in China. Asian Survey. Course materials.

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