Co-opting Separatists: Social Welfare for Cross-Border Minorities in Xinjiang

Vladimir Hlasny

Revue d'économie politique, 2022, vol. 132, issue 3, 515-548

Abstract: Xinjiang has been the scene of interethnic, religious and political conflict, creating challenges for the government in Beijing. This study uses unique historical data on 1995-2003 county governments? welfare spending in Xinjiang to link regional demographic composition and spending. Panel-method regressions show that counties with cross-border ethnic and religious minorities located near borders spend more on welfare due to the threat of unrest and separatism among the minorities. Moreover, the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan led to increases in spending in Muslim-minority areas. These results shed light on fiscal governance in western China and the co-optation of minorities amid leadership concerns over challenges to regime stability.

Keywords: Islam; welfare; co-optation; western development; Xinjiang (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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