We view development economics as a set of empirical generalizations, paradigms,
and tools that tell us something about why large differences in productivity and
income within and among countries, social groups, and classes seem to persist. How
does China fit into the received views of development economics? In answering this
question the cup overfloweth with materials, so no attempt is made to be exhaustive.
We begin in Part A by using comparative statistics of developing and developed
countries to help understand China’s present position and its growth experience
since 1978. Ensuing sections take up selected topics where development economics
and China’s development experience intersect. Part B looks at governance
issues in a comparative framework, focusing on corruption as a phenomenon that
brings together many features of administration that are common across countries.
Part C examines the rural sector, focusing on agricultural productivity and land
tenure, and Part D reviews the uniquely East Asian phenomenon of rural industrialization.
Part E concludes.