Publications
Publications
- July 2011
- Comparative Politics
Institutions and Inequality in Single Party Regimes: A Comparative Analysis of Vietnam and China
Abstract
Despite the fact that China and Vietnam have been the world's two fastest growing economies over the past two decades, their income inequality patterns are very different. In this paper, we take a deep look at political institutions in the two countries, demonstrating that profound differences in these polities influence distributional choices. In particular, we find that elite institutions in Vietnam encourage the construction of broader policy-making coalitions, have more competitive selection processes, and place more constraints on executive decision making than exists by way of elite institutions in China. As a result, there are stronger political motivations for Vietnamese leaders to provide equalizing transfers that limit inequality growth among provinces.
Keywords
Equality and Inequality; Developing Countries and Economies; Motivation and Incentives; Government and Politics; Policy; Power and Influence; Decision Making; Income; China; Viet Nam
Citation
Malesky, Edmund, Regina M. Abrami, and Yu Zheng. "Institutions and Inequality in Single Party Regimes: A Comparative Analysis of Vietnam and China." Comparative Politics 43, no. 4 (July 2011).