Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.9, 2017

The Key to Precise Poverty Alleviation Rests in the Precise Identification of Impoverished Populations: An Analysis of the Targeting Effect of the Rural Subsistence Allowance Policy

(Abstract)

Zhu Mengbing and Li Shi

For the success of the poverty elimination program as an important part of the strategy of completing the process of building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects by 2020, it is necessary to precisely identify the impoverished populations. An analysis of data from the 2013 Household Survey shows that in terms of the poverty line, the targeting of the existing rural subsistence allowance program is very imprecise. The targeting of the allowance has improved in terms of multi-dimensional poverty criteria, but its coverage remains poor. In order to gradually unify the criteria for the rural poverty alleviation line and the rural subsistence allowance, the identification of the criteria for subsistence allowance households needs to shift from a single income line towards multi-dimensional poverty criteria, providing a unified standard for receipt of the subsistence allowance and formulating a uniform identification program. At the same time, we need to increase the coverage of the subsistence allowance and the input of subsistence allowance funding, so that it really covers all poor populations in rural areas.