Widening Inter-County Inequality in Jiangsu Province, China, 1950-1995

Wei, Yehua Dennis; Kim, Sunwoong

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Widening Inter-County Inequality in Jiangsu Province, China, 1950-1995

Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 38, No. 6, pp. 142-164, 2002

13 Pages Posted: 28 Feb 2010

See all articles by Yehua Dennis Wei

Yehua Dennis Wei

University of Utah - Department of Geography and Institute of Public & International Affairs

Sunwoong Kim

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee - Department of Economics

Date Written: August 1, 2002

Abstract

Scholars have heatedly debated the change of regional inequality in China and policies for intervention. However, most studies on China are based on macro regions and provinces, and have paid less attention to trends and mechanisms of regional inequality within provinces. This paper uses time-series county data to examine inter-county inequality in Jiangsu from 1950 to 1995. We find that inter-county inequality in Jiangsu did not change much under Mao and during the rural reform period (1978-84), but dramatically intensified in the urban-based comprehensive reform period (since 1984). Regression analysis reveals that the institutional structure, agglomeration effects, and human capital are important factors underlying the divergence of inter-county inequality in Jiangsu.

Keywords: regional inequality,China, inter-county inequality, Jiangsu, regression analysis

JEL Classification: O100, O180

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Wei, Yehua Dennis and Kim, Sunwoong, Widening Inter-County Inequality in Jiangsu Province, China, 1950-1995 (August 1, 2002). Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 38, No. 6, pp. 142-164, 2002, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1559602