The Cost of Living in China: Implications for Inequality and Poverty

Ingvild Almås and Åshild Johnsen

No 06/2013, Memorandum from Oslo University, Department of Economics

Abstract: China’s economic development in recent decades has been tremendous, but subject to debate. This paper calculates regional prices that make incomes comparable across both time and space using the Engel-curve approach. Incomes are adjusted using these price indices, providing new estimates of inequality and poverty development. Our findings contrast with measures based on the official consumer price indices (CPIs) – in a time characterized by high economic growth, we find a larger increase in inequality and a more moderate poverty reduction than what is indicated by the CPI-adjusted measures.

Keywords: China; Poverty; Inequality; CPI (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D01 E31 F01 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2013-02-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-dev, nep-ltv and nep-tra
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The cost of living in China: Implications for inequality and poverty (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:osloec:2013_006

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