Poverty Reduction In Pakistan: Learning From The Experience Of China
Learning From The Experience Of Other Countries, For Achieving Certain Development Goals, Is Not An Easy Task, Because Different Nations Vary In Their Cultural Settings, Geo-Political Conditions And Mobilisation Of Resources, Necessary For Such Achievements. However, Despite These Limitations, The Learning Process Can Be Useful, In Providing Necessary Inputs, For Designing Policies And Implementing Them, To Accomplish The Goals. The Success Of China Against Poverty, During The Last Three Decades, Has Attracted The Attention Of Economists, Social Scientists And International Organisations To Draw Some Lessons, For Other Developing Countries, For Fighting Against Poverty, In Their Own Settings. For Example, Ravallian (2008) Has Recently Given A Number Of Policy Messages, Worth Thinking About In An African Context, That Emerge From The Literature On How China Was So Successful In The Fight Against Poverty. Heilig, Et Al. (2005) Have Drawn Three Lessons, From The Chinese Experience, For Other Poverty-Affected Developing Countries, In Africa, Asia And Latin America. First, They Argue That, It Is Essential For These Countries To Get Their Economic Systems In Order, And, Secondly, To Develop A Clear Concept Of Regional Development. Thirdly, ‘Specific Poverty Alleviation Measures Are Necessary That Must Be Highly Targeted To Improve Basic Living Conditions, Education And Health Among The Poverty Affected Population’ [Heilig, Et Al. (2005)]. China Has Been Successful In Poverty Reduction, While Poverty In Pakistan Has Fluctuated, During The Last Three Decades. At Present, Poverty In Pakistan Is As High As It Was In The Early 1990s. In The Mid-2000s, When Poverty Fell Sharply, The Mdg Target Of Halving Poverty Was Likely To Be Achieved By 2015. However, The Last Available Mdg Report (2010) Concludes That ‘It Is Expected That Mdg Targets Related To Goal 1(Poverty And Hunger) Will Not Be Met For All The Indicators’ [Pakistan (2010)]. Two Relevant Questions Are: Why Has Pakistan Lagged Behind? What Can It Learn From Other Countries That Made Remarkable Progress In Poverty Reduction? China Is Surely A Good Case To View Achievements In This Direction. The Close Relations Between China And Pakistan Make The Case For Comparison And Learning Even Stronger.
