Transitions in and out of poverty

Importance of Intrinsic Motivation

Q: How much has the central government allocated in special funds to aid the poor?

A: It is roughly 60 billion yuan (U.S. $9.2 billion) with an increase of 40 percent to the previous year. It has set a new bar for the special poverty alleviation funds regarding the growth rate.

Q: Despite China's efforts in the past decades, there are still tens of millions of poor. Therefore, some people might doubt whether the approach of poverty reduction has been effective or not in the past. Do you agree?

A: First of all, I want to stress that we should not judge the past by today's standards. Poverty reduction policies implemented in the past were suitable to cover most of the needy. For example, the practice of household contract responsibility initiated by Chinese farmers in the early 80's has changed their lifestyle and helped them rise from rural poverty.

Secondly, everything has its own law of development and we cannot change it or destroy it. It is the same case with anti-poverty efforts. Today, the targeted measures are regarded as the product of the period.

Q: I remember a book entitled Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty authorized by two professors (Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo) of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).The book reports on the effectiveness of solutions to global poverty. In the book, the writers conclude that the more support the poor receive from the government, the weaker motivation they embrace to change their life. So, how can China enhance their intrinsic motivation or self-desire to seek out ways to make their situations more livable and enjoyable?

A: It is right to enhance intrinsic motivation when pro-poor policies are mentioned. However, maintaining and enhancing intrinsic motivation requires supportive conditions and it occurs when an individual is able to focus on internal drivers as the impetus for doing something.

In China, poverty varies significantly among regions. In some distant places, it remains difficult for locals to capture the idea of "desire to self-improve" in a short time due to the language barrier and social exclusion. That means they may still have a long way to go.

Q: In general, it is always easy to provide some financial and material support to the needy. And it also saves LGOPAD lots of trouble. Besides the support, how could LGOPAD help the poor to arouse their potential motivation?

A: Actually, financial and material support is necessary but not a sufficient condition for poverty alleviation and reduction across China. I have supported six impoverished households in northwest China's Gansu Province. Instead of giving material support, I taught them how to take advantage of their family allowances while applying for a loan.

I want to say there is a long way to go to enhance the intrinsic motivation of the poor, but it is necessary to quicken our pace on the way.

Q: Among all the poor, some have again returned to poverty after rising from poverty under the government's help. Do you have some figures to detail the information?

A: I have no figures to detail more. Usually, transitions in and out of poverty often happen after major events such as serious disease, or changes in income.

As far as I am concerned, those in China who have returned to poverty have never risen from poverty. Poverty alleviation is associated with stable income and great individual capability. People who have never shaken off poverty are covered by social insurance.