BOFIT Online 4/2005

BOFIT Online
What Determines Regional Inequality in China? — A Survey of the Literature and Official Data
4/2005
Author(s):
Barbara Bils
2005. 31 pages / sivua.
Publisher:
Suomen Pankki
 
After a slight convergence of income between Chinese regions after the start of economic reforms in the late 1970s, regional income inequality has been on the rise again since the beginning of the 1990s. This paper gives an overview of the features of regional inequality in China and identifies the main reasons for the surge in inequality by reviewing existing literature on the topic and evaluating official statistical data.