世界银行出版物
China is in the throes of two transitions: from a command economy to a market-based one and from a rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrial one. So far, both transitions have been spectacularly successful. China is the fastest-growing economy in the world, with per capita incomes more than quadrupling since 1978, achieving in two generations what took other countries centuries. Although swift growth and structural change have resolved many problems, they also have created new challenges: employment insecurity, growing inequality, stubborn poverty, mounting environmental pressures, rising costs of food self-sufficiency, and periods of macroeconomic instability stemming from incomplete reforms. Unmet, these challenges could undermine the sustainability of growth, and China's promise could fade. China 2020, a seven-volume set, examines China's recent history, where it is today, and the path it should follow during the first two decades of the 21st century. The volume in the set entitled, "Sharing Rising Incomes: Disparities in China" analyzes the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots. A major challenge during China's transition to a market economy is to extend the benefits of growth to all of society and to protect the poor and the vulnerable. This report presents findings on the levels and trends in income inequality in China over the past 15 years, analyzing the interaction between growth, poverty, and inequality during this period. It takes into account the expanding gulf between rural and urban areas and examines disparities in pay across educational, occupational, and gender groupings. The study also evaluates the impact of land distribution on incomes and welfare and discusses policies that would improve the welfare of different population segments.