Reflecting on the history of anti-poverty research at Renmin University of China, from the older generation of scholars who dedicated decades to poverty alleviation experimental zones since the 1980s, to the current dozens of professors engaged in major national targeted poverty alleviation research projects, the RUC School of Thought in Anti-Poverty Research (hereafter referred to as the "RUC School of Thought") has consistently adhered to the principle of integrating theory with practice. It has established itself as a unique school of thought, continuously meeting the demands of the era and making significant contributions to China's anti-poverty efforts.

RUC's Anti-Poverty Research Permeates the Path of Poverty Alleviation with Chinese Characteristics

China's large-scale poverty alleviation efforts began in the mid-1980s. Following the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, as modernization entered a new phase, the central government successively initiated the Three-West Poverty Alleviation Development Program, the National 8-7 Poverty Alleviation Plan, and began formulating China's first Rural Poverty Alleviation and Development Program in 2001, marking the start of poverty alleviation development with Chinese characteristics.

From the mid-1980s, as the first batch of scholars in RUC's anti-poverty research, Yan Ruizhen, Cheng Shulan, and others practiced and emphasized that theory originates from practice. They identified issues through in-depth research, developed theories through careful thought, and in turn promoted practice. Their representative work, "The Path of Development in China's Poor Mountainous Areas," won the Sun Yefang Economic Science Award in 1996, the National Education Commission's First Prize for Outstanding Research Achievements in 1996, and the Wu Yuzhang Research Award in 1999.

Entering the 21st century, scholars from RUC, represented by Wen Tiejun, delved deeply into the innovative and coordinated relationship between urban-rural integration and rural poverty alleviation against the backdrop of globalization and the new era. They emphasized the construction of a new type of rural collective economy, the integration of multiple productions, green development, innovative forms of ecological resource value realization, and the establishment of new urban-rural interactions.

With the introduction of the targeted poverty alleviation strategy, China's anti-poverty efforts entered a new stage. Scholars from RUC, represented by Wang Sanguai, made outstanding contributions to the theoretical research and practice of the national strategy for targeted poverty alleviation. Wang Sanguai, as the director of the China Institute for Poverty Alleviation, participated in the State Council's poverty alleviation office's third-party exit evaluation, serving as the chief consultant.

2020 marked the decisive year in winning the battle against poverty, with significant changes expected in China's poverty situation. After winning the battle against poverty, it was necessary to consolidate the achievements and establish a long-term mechanism for relative poverty governance, indicating that China's anti-poverty efforts still have a long way to go. At this historical turning point, scholars represented by Zhu Xinkai and Qiu Huanguang at RUC took up the baton to continue the long-term historical task of anti-poverty research within the RUC School of Thought.

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RUC's Anti-Poverty Research Carves a Unique Path with Distinctive Features

The RUC school of thought holds unparalleled advantages and features in various aspects of China's anti-poverty research. One such distinctive feature is the profound "people's sentiment." Taking the "Taihang Mountain Poverty Alleviation and Development Experimental Zone (1992-2000)" established by Yan Ruizhen as an example, the team spent nearly two years surveying the Taihang, Dabie, and Lüliang mountain areas, eventually selecting Gangdi Village and its surrounding areas. From the outset, the project maintained the principal role of the masses, allowing each village and household to voluntarily decide whether to participate and to independently determine the types of fruit tree industries and their development and management forms. Motivated by the autonomy of management and supported by advanced models and project backing, farmers quickly shifted from hesitation to active participation.

Another hallmark of RUC's anti-poverty research is "learning through action". RUC scholars, in their anti-poverty research, follow the principle of emphasizing social investigation and speaking through facts. In 2003, Wen Tiejun, in Dingzhou, Hebei, collaborated with scholars from within and outside China to establish the "Yan Yangchu Rural Construction Academy," a free vocational training center for farmers. This experiment aimed at guiding farmers to develop their hometowns and address surplus labor through free vocational and technical training, offering significant guidance for the national anti-poverty efforts.

The mission of RUC's anti-poverty research is to serve the national agenda. Offering ideas and suggestions to the Party and the government is another characteristic of the RUC school of thought. Currently, RUC's anti-poverty research not only provides a scientific basis for the national strategy of targeted poverty alleviation but also explores beneficial approaches, mechanisms, and contents for poverty alleviation and development in impoverished areas. This includes research on ethnic minority poverty alleviation, financial poverty alleviation, poverty alleviation through relocation, and the establishment of poverty alleviation files, among others. Several reports have received instructions from Party and state leaders and have been widely applied in the formulation and adjustment of national poverty alleviation policies, yielding positive social effects. Wang Sanguai served as a member of the expert advisory committee for the State Council's Leading Group on Poverty Alleviation and Development and participated in the State Council's poverty alleviation office's third-party exit evaluation.

Qiu Huanguang, a professor at the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, led the key international cooperation project of the National Natural Science Foundation, "Social, Economic, and Environmental Impact Assessment of Relocation for Poverty Alleviation," evaluating the relocation project for nearly 10 million impoverished people with an investment of nearly 1 trillion yuan during the "Thirteenth Five-Year" period. Commissioned by the General Office of the Central Committee, he conducted specialized research on "China's Poverty Alleviation: Situation, Challenges, and Strategies", and the report "Several Issues that Should Be Addressed in Current Targeted Poverty Alleviation Efforts in Our Country" based on his research findings received instructions from central leadership.

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RUC's Anti-Poverty Research: Rooted in China, Facing the World

The anti-poverty research of the RUC school of thought serves not only China but is also dedicated to sharing Chinese experiences with the world. Since 2010, RUC has published over 30 academic papers on the theme of anti-poverty in various internationally renowned economic journals, with its first-class research level receiving recognition from the international community.

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to three American scholars dedicated to anti-poverty research, recognizing their experimental approach to global poverty reduction issues. Compared to the research of these laureates, the anti-poverty research of the RUC school of thought, while similar in experimental methods, differs in its core research philosophy. First and foremost, the RUC school of thought’s research on poverty issues has a clear purpose: to serve policy and practical application. With this premise, the RUC school not only focuses on the operations and impacts at the micro-level of poverty alleviation but also emphasizes issues of concern from the central perspective at the macro level. Rather than focusing on simple problems that conform to common sense, it pays more attention to the difficulties encountered in grassroots poverty alleviation work and policy implementation. Secondly, the RUC school of thought values the summarization of experiences and theoretical abstraction, systematically analyzing the deep-seated reasons behind China's anti-poverty achievements. As summarized by RUC scholars, the intrinsic motivation for China's large-scale poverty reduction includes the rapid economic development over the past 40 years, the ability to leverage unique institutional advantages, the mobilization of market entities to participate in poverty alleviation, and the deployment of a large number of cadres to villages for poverty alleviation efforts.

Clarifying the mechanisms behind China's anti-poverty efforts enables a better explanation of the applicability of Chinese experiences, creating favorable conditions in the promotion process, and helping other countries find the direction forward in their anti-poverty work.