How Does Targeted Poverty Alleviation Policy Influence Residents’ Perceptions of Rural Living Conditions? A Study of 16 Villages in Gansu Province, Northwest China

Meimei Wang, Yongchun Yang, Bo Zhang, Mengqin Liu and Qing Liu
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Meimei Wang: College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Yongchun Yang: College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Bo Zhang: School of Tourism Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Mengqin Liu: College of Environment and Resource, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Sichuan 621010, China
Qing Liu: College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 24, 1-15

Abstract: Rural living conditions (RLCs) in China are influential on the overall development and stability of regions, particularly for populations in distant poverty-stricken villages. This paper takes 16 villages of Chedao town in Gansu province, Northwest China (NWC) as our case study. Using data from the Poverty Alleviation and Assistance (PAA) project launched by Lanzhou University in June 2017, and the perceptions of residents of Chedao, we pinpoint RLC changes in the targeted poverty alleviation (TPA) process. The three main results show that: (1) From the residents’ perceptions, the impact of alleviation measures on RLC is mainly reflected in improved housing conditions, infrastructure, and public services. We find no significant effect on cultural conditions. However, eco-environmental conditions have obviously weakened. (2) Housing size, accessibility, distance to shops, and safe drinking water are the most significant factors in housing conditions, infrastructure, public services, and eco-environmental conditions, respectively. (3) Out of the different levels of rural poverty households (RPHs), severe rurality villages are more strongly aware of the positive changes in RLC than residents of mild rurality villages. Moreover, in residents’ view, housing conditions are most improved in severe rurality villages, infrastructure is most improved in moderate rurality villages, and public services are most improved in mild rurality villages. Eco-environmental conditions worsen across all levels. Our findings shed light on the perceptions of residents on changes occurring in rural living conditions, and provide a basis for subsequent studies of RLC in Northwest China.

Keywords: absolute poverty; rural poverty household (RPH); targeted poverty alleviation (TPA); resident perceptions; rural living condition (RLC); Northwest China (NWC) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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