Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Hicks, Barbara

Area of Concentration

International and Area Studies

Abstract

Throughout China’s “Opening Up and Reform” period, rapid industrialization took place alongside liberalization of coastal provinces. A coastal-biased strategy of export-led growth emerged as the model by which China would economically develop. Accession to the WTO in 2001 fully liberalized the Chinese economy and exposed previously protected parts of China to international trade while eliminating policy favoritism towards coastal provinces. Theories of international trade suggest that liberalization of an economy can lead to greater investment and economic growth in a country as a whole. The examination of economic data reveals a trend of growing inequality between coastal and inland provinces leading up to WTO accession, and further exacerbation of this trend in the post-accession economy. The main contributing factors identified include the piecemeal liberalization of coastal provinces and the barriers to labor migration created by the hukou registration system. The study of China’s development strategy informs our understanding of the consequences of unequal development in a globalized economy.

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