Public Seminar
Tuesday 16th December 2014, 12.30pm to 2pm, Room TW2.10.01B, Tower 2, LSE
Speaker: Shengmin Sun
Chair: Athar Hussain
How can we eliminate rural poverty and balance urban and rural development in China? Distortion of income and expenditure is a rational choice for farmers when they are faced with institutional restrictions such as household registration (Hukou) and education system reform. It results in structural poverty of human capital and leads to a vicious cycle of low income. In this seminar, we argue that the poverty of farmers is institutional in essence. Using survey data from 1549 farmers in Shandong province in China, we find social capital as a significant determinant of income as well as consumption. Our results suggest that institutional reforms, such as household registration and education system reform, can be advanced and institutional poverty can be reduced gradually and eradicated ultimately. These institutional reforms are necessary for bridging the gap between the urban and rural areas in China.
Dr Shengmin Sun| is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the LSE Asia Research Centre. He received his PhD, MA and BA degrees from Shandong University, Jinan, China. Dr Sun is currently a Professor at the Centre For Economic Research, Shandong University. Previously he was a Post-doctoral fellow in the History and Cultural School, Shandong University.
Professor Athar Hussain| is Director of the LSE Asia Research Centre.
Additional Information
This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. Please direct any queries to arc@lse.ac.uk| or call 020 7955 7615.