Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.10, 2020

The Political Logic of Poverty Control in China: Transcending Western Theories of the Welfare State

(Abstract)

Xie Yue

The great achievements of poverty control in China, especially “targeted poverty alleviation,” provide an important opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the “China model” and develop state theory. China’s poverty governance model has successfully transformed the political leadership of the ruling party into a modernized national governance capacity, elevated the individual welfare of the poor population to the height of national strategy, given full play to the rational advantage of the central authority, and stimulated the vitality of coordinated governance between local governments and society. The nature of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics determines the political logic of poverty governance in China: poverty governance oriented by welfare distribution is a kind of universal “people’s welfare” rather than the privilege of an exclusive minority; it is a national goal based on “common prosperity” and “the realization of a moderately prosperous society in all respects,” rather than a utilitarian means to appease voters in order to win elections; and it is a distribution system in the development sense, aiming to give the poor the ability to get rich, rather than utilitarian social relief aimed at “supporting the underclass.” The facts prove that poverty control in China has the political advantages of the socialist system as regards welfare distribution, an approach that presents a strong challenge to traditional Western theories of the welfare state. At the same time, it provides an alternative reference solution that helps developing countries to throw off the tutelage of the West, which is mired in impoverished theories and systemic exhaustion.