Shibadong’s Experience in PovertyAlleviation

Abstract

Shibadong Village, the birthplace of the “targeted poverty alleviation”campaign, has set a model for China’s poverty alleviation and elimination efforts. Based ondata obtained from long-term field research, this paper illustrates Shibadong’s journey outof poverty by outlining its main practices of targeted poverty alleviation, and summarizingthe learnings that are worth sharing. Guided by the “targeted poverty alleviation” strategy,measures were taken to unleash the endogenous development force of the village byprecisely identifying targets, developing targeted rural industries, implementing specificrelief plans tailored to each household, and bringing cohesion among different social forces.Thanks to these efforts, the village has undergone tremendous changes in many areas suchas civility level, living conditions, industrial development, social governance, infrastructureand public services. This paper argues that Shibadong’s experience has universalapplicability for poverty elimination. We believe that by building an enabling government,an effective market and an organic society, and giving full play to the synergistic effects ofthe three, poor villages can break out of the dilemma caused by the “triple failures” andachieve modern rural governance and development.