The Political Economy of Poverty Reduction: A Comparative Study of Two Chinese Provinces.

This paper examines the connection between power, local government policy and changes in absolute rural poverty. Understanding this insufficiently studied relationship will help us to clarify theoretical questions on the power of the state and market actors, to examine hegemonic the role of ideas in poverty reduction (including social, market and state theories), as well as to identify effective policy responses to poverty. Hegemonic and counter-hegemonic ideas and national and global forces have influenced directly the approach and policies taken by China’s increasingly powerful provincial governments. Based on a comparative analysis of two Chinese provinces (Guizhou and Yunnan) selected, one for its unexpected success and one for its unexpected failure in reducing poverty, this study incorporates data collected during fieldwork from Chinese secondary sources, interviews of knowledgeable Chinese government officials and academics, and site visits to local counties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]