Escaping the resource curse: does resource dependence reduction mitigate income inequality?

Abstract This paper quantifies the impact of resource dependence reduction on income inequality. Using an exogenous shock triggered by China’s sustainable program for resource-based regions and prefecture-level data during 2004–2020, we perform a difference-in-differences estimation and find that re...

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Main Authors: Zhijiu Yang, Mengxu Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2024-12-01
Series:Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04228-2
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author Zhijiu Yang
Mengxu Li
author_facet Zhijiu Yang
Mengxu Li
author_sort Zhijiu Yang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This paper quantifies the impact of resource dependence reduction on income inequality. Using an exogenous shock triggered by China’s sustainable program for resource-based regions and prefecture-level data during 2004–2020, we perform a difference-in-differences estimation and find that reducing resource dependence has a sizable narrowing effect on urban-rural income gap. On average, the sustainable program reduces the gap (as measured by a ratio indicator) by 4.11%, with the effect being more pronounced in regions with initial low institutional quality. Further evidence suggests that the rise of labor-intensive industries and the increased rural investment, which benefit the poor more, help explain the narrowing effect. This paper sheds light on the sustainable development of resource-dependent regions.
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id doaj-art-b13459ad2dff45ada14e36529fb9ff07
institution OA Journals
issn 2662-9992
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publisher Springer Nature
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spelling doaj-art-b13459ad2dff45ada14e36529fb9ff072025-08-20T02:31:48ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922024-12-0111111310.1057/s41599-024-04228-2Escaping the resource curse: does resource dependence reduction mitigate income inequality?Zhijiu Yang0Mengxu Li1School of Business, Jiangnan UniversitySchool of Economics and Management, China University of GeosciencesAbstract This paper quantifies the impact of resource dependence reduction on income inequality. Using an exogenous shock triggered by China’s sustainable program for resource-based regions and prefecture-level data during 2004–2020, we perform a difference-in-differences estimation and find that reducing resource dependence has a sizable narrowing effect on urban-rural income gap. On average, the sustainable program reduces the gap (as measured by a ratio indicator) by 4.11%, with the effect being more pronounced in regions with initial low institutional quality. Further evidence suggests that the rise of labor-intensive industries and the increased rural investment, which benefit the poor more, help explain the narrowing effect. This paper sheds light on the sustainable development of resource-dependent regions.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04228-2
spellingShingle Zhijiu Yang
Mengxu Li
Escaping the resource curse: does resource dependence reduction mitigate income inequality?
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
title Escaping the resource curse: does resource dependence reduction mitigate income inequality?
title_full Escaping the resource curse: does resource dependence reduction mitigate income inequality?
title_fullStr Escaping the resource curse: does resource dependence reduction mitigate income inequality?
title_full_unstemmed Escaping the resource curse: does resource dependence reduction mitigate income inequality?
title_short Escaping the resource curse: does resource dependence reduction mitigate income inequality?
title_sort escaping the resource curse does resource dependence reduction mitigate income inequality
url https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04228-2
work_keys_str_mv AT zhijiuyang escapingtheresourcecursedoesresourcedependencereductionmitigateincomeinequality
AT mengxuli escapingtheresourcecursedoesresourcedependencereductionmitigateincomeinequality