China Income Inequality: Nation To Publish Wealth Gap Data Next Year

BEIJING -- Chinese state media say the government plans to conduct a nationwide income survey to help it calculate a politically sensitive measure of wealth inequality.

The China Daily newspaper on Tuesday quoted a National Statistics Bureau official as saying the survey will be conducted with help from Canada and the results will be published next year.

Xie Hongguang says the release of the standarized survey data will pave the way for calculating a wealth-inequality statistic known as the Gini coefficient. The statistic has been released previously for rural but not urban residents.

The government has promised hefty increases in social spending to help narrow the gap between China's poor majority and an elite who have profited from three decades of economic reform.

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Comments

[Kristopher Leang]

02:43 PM on 02/07/2012

the blind leading the blind much??

[Kye154]

02:21 PM on 02/07/2012

At least China recognizes the problem and it looks like they are attempting to do something about it. In America, we tend to ignore our inequity problems until it becomes a festering mess, then we take years, if not generations, addressing the problem. Then, it takes even longer for America to actually do something about it. Case in point: 110 years ago, Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to advocate government regulation to achieve social and economic justice, like control over corporates and social welfare. Where are we today in this regard? . Franklin Roosevelt proposed declare an "economic bill of rights" which would guarantee:

Employment, with a living wage,
Freedom from unfair competition and monopolies,
Housing,
Medical care,
Education, and,
Social security.

Where are we on this today?

It took us 100 years to go from the Civil War to get to Civil Rights. It took 30 years from the Hay Market riots to 1916 to have an 8 hour work day. And it took us from 1999 to 2008 to learn what a dumb mistake repealing the Glass-Steagall act really was, yet, we have done nothing to bring the banks back under regualtion again. Get the drift? America simply can't get its act together. We have allot to learn from China, but as our history has demonstrated, we won't.

[psnyder325]

01:40 PM on 02/07/2012

Whatever you call China's governmental/social system, they have learned some lessons of history. The most important lesson is not to let income inequality get too great. While there is great income disparity in China, the policies of their government supply everyone there with decent medical care, and at least a subsistence level of living. When income inequality and inequity of other kinds become too great, revolution occurs. While I'm not a fan of the Chinese system, as it is oppressive and authoritarian, I AM a fan of their insight that everyone must at least have enough to live, even if those at the top must be taxed heavily to provide it. In our country, the 1% - 2% couldn't care less if the poor have nothing to eat, no medical care, no housing, no clothes, etc. In this, America is far worse than China where everyone at least has something to eat, and a place to lay their heads at night.

[an seanchus mor]

09:08 AM on 02/07/2012

What exactly is China these days? Are we still calling it communist?

[OldTulsan]

10:39 AM on 02/07/2012

http://english.gov.cn/2007-10/22/content_923081.htm
The Communist Party of China

" The Communist Party of China (CPC) is the party in power in the country. The CPC has both central and local organizations. At the top is the Central Committee and, while when it is not in session, the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee exercise the power of the Central Committee. Both the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee are elected by the plenary session of the Central Committee.

The CPC is a unified entity organized according to its program, constitution and the principle of democratic centralism. The Constitution of the Communist Party of China stipulates that any Chinese worker, farmer, member of the armed forces, intellectual and any advanced element of other social strata who has reached the age of 18 and who accepts the program and constitution of the CPC and is willing to join and work in one of the Party organizations, carry out the Party's decisions and pay membership dues regularly may apply for membership in the CPC."

[an seanchus mor]

11:10 AM on 02/07/2012

Hmm, I wonder though is their economic and social order nearer to fascism these days?

[psnyder325]

01:44 PM on 02/07/2012

They're probably about as democratic as we are, though we like to fool ourselves that we have a great democracy. An indication that we do NOT have a representative republic/democracy is the fact that Congress will NOT put into effect many things that almost the whole nation wants...like the Buffet Rule on millionaires or universal health care under a public option. Instead, our republic has been hijacked by a small group of the very wealthy and mega-corporations. While China may well be a statist economy and governance system, we are a corporatist economy and governance system. Neither are representative of the desires of the people, and neither are anything close to a democracy.

[an seanchus mor]

02:51 PM on 02/07/2012

Indeed, China seems to also exhibit corporatism.
Everywhere is becoming unsettlingly convergent,
without any apparent enlargement of democracy anywhere.

The newly unelected technocratic rulership of Italy comes to mind (Mario Monti)

[reality4u2]

08:43 AM on 02/07/2012

So their will be parkpoopers setting up tents in Peking's parks? Somehow I think they would get more then a little pepper spray...

[psnyder325]

01:45 PM on 02/07/2012

Doubtless they would. But the Chinese have revolted in the past and may again. On the other hand, their income inequality is likely nowhere NEAR ours, and their CEOs have to be very accountable to the government, unlike here.

[frank day]

08:43 AM on 02/07/2012

300,000,000 uber wealthy party members.

One Billion starving peasants.