The Rise of Inequality in China

Term Paper # 103768

Asian Studies > East Asian Cultures
Economics > National

An analysis of the historic development and implications for China of its growing economic inequality.

3,702 words () | 8 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper critically examines the issue of growing economic inequality in China. It discusses the issue in terms of its historic development and how it has shaped China today. It also describes its implications for China's future social and economic evolution and discusses the reason that this problem has been masked in the popular view of China today as an economic superpower.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Ideology of Equality in Communist China
China's Economic Reforms and Increasing Inequality
The Scale Inequality in Contemporary China
Inequality and Political and Migration Pressures
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"In conclusion, the increasing levels of inequality in China - not only in terms of rural vs. urban, but also inland vs. coastal - present a clear and present threat to the legitimacy of the Communist government given its ideological origins in socialist egalitarianism. While the economic development of China and its opening to world trade has brought great wealth and development to parts of the country, other parts have suffered even more so. The geographic localization of this problem in rural/inland areas, as well as the discontent of many migrant workers in the urban areas, represents a disturbing prospect for the future of not only stable economic development in China, but for the continued rule of the Communist party and political stability in China as a whole."

Sample of Sources Used:

Benjamin, Dwayne, Brandt, Loren, and Giles, John. "The Evolution of Income Inequality in China." In China's Great EconomicTransformation. Cambridge University Press (forthcoming): 769-824.
Davin, Delia. "Delinquent, Ignorant and Stupid." China Perspectives. 9 (1977): 6-11.
Fang, Cai. "Migration Obstacles, Human Capital and the Mobility of a Rural Labour Force." In Fitzpatrick, ed. Work and Mobility: Recent Labour Migration Issues in China. UNESCO, 1998.
Kanbur, Ravi, and Zhang, Xiaobo. "Which Regional Inequality? The Evolution of Rural-Urban and Inland-Coastal Inequality in China form 1983 to 1995." Journal of Comparative Economics. 27 (1999): 686-701.
Saich, Tony. Governance and Politics in China. London: Palgrave, 2001.

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APA Citation:

The Rise of Inequality in China (2012, January 15). Retrieved February 13, 2012, from http://www.academon.com/Term-Paper-The-Rise-of-Inequality-in-China/103768