Resource information
At the outset of China's reform
period, the country had a far higher poverty rate than for
Africa as a whole. Within five years that was no longer
true. This paper tries to explain how China escaped from a
situation in which extreme poverty persisted due to failed
and unpopular policies. While acknowledging that Africa
faces constraints that China did not, and that context
matters, two lessons stand out. The first is the importance
of productivity growth in smallholder agriculture, which
will require both market-based incentives and public
support. The second is the role played by strong leadership
and a capable public administration at all levels of government.
