Supporting the development of ethnic groups with smaller populations: the policies and practices of the Chinese government

Abstract Development is a fundamental pursuit of human society. When it comes to national governance, there are issues of imbalanced and insufficient development that must be addressed. Since 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was founded, the Chinese government has adopted a series of ethnic...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yazhou Shi, Rui Gao, Rui Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2023-11-01
Series:International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-023-00098-9
_version_ 1827770648736301056
author Yazhou Shi
Rui Gao
Rui Wang
author_facet Yazhou Shi
Rui Gao
Rui Wang
author_sort Yazhou Shi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Development is a fundamental pursuit of human society. When it comes to national governance, there are issues of imbalanced and insufficient development that must be addressed. Since 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was founded, the Chinese government has adopted a series of ethnic policies to resolve these development issues across ethnic minority areas. Since the late 1970s, Chinese scholars and the government have paid particular attention to the development issues of ethnic groups with smaller populations. This paper examines the relevant literature on this topic and divides China’s policies on this issue into three stages: (1) initial exploration, (2) targeted assistance, and (3) specialized planning. It discusses the Chinese government’s policy process and its experience empowering ethnic groups with smaller populations. The paper argues that the Chinese government’s support for ethnic groups with smaller populations is guided by valid ethnic theories and a comprehensive policy system. In the implementation of policies, the government recognizes “development” as the primary objective. It then formulates, implements, and evaluates policies based on the characteristics of the different ethnic groups with smaller populations. This approach effectively addressed the problems faced by these ethnic groups during different stages of their development and achieved the intended policy goals. Therefore, these policies are practical and sustainable. They are a valuable asset, and studying them could be beneficial to any unified multi-ethnic country that wants to tackle the development issues of their ethnic minorities.
first_indexed 2024-03-11T12:42:36Z
format Article
id doaj.art-495aaef4ef32478182afe98882f9c56e
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2366-1003
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-11T12:42:36Z
publishDate 2023-11-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology
spelling doaj.art-495aaef4ef32478182afe98882f9c56e2023-11-05T12:11:40ZengSpringerOpenInternational Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology2366-10032023-11-017112610.1186/s41257-023-00098-9Supporting the development of ethnic groups with smaller populations: the policies and practices of the Chinese governmentYazhou Shi0Rui Gao1Rui Wang2Minzu University of ChinaHebei University of Engineering, Handan Economic and Technological Development ZoneChinese Academy of Social SciencesAbstract Development is a fundamental pursuit of human society. When it comes to national governance, there are issues of imbalanced and insufficient development that must be addressed. Since 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was founded, the Chinese government has adopted a series of ethnic policies to resolve these development issues across ethnic minority areas. Since the late 1970s, Chinese scholars and the government have paid particular attention to the development issues of ethnic groups with smaller populations. This paper examines the relevant literature on this topic and divides China’s policies on this issue into three stages: (1) initial exploration, (2) targeted assistance, and (3) specialized planning. It discusses the Chinese government’s policy process and its experience empowering ethnic groups with smaller populations. The paper argues that the Chinese government’s support for ethnic groups with smaller populations is guided by valid ethnic theories and a comprehensive policy system. In the implementation of policies, the government recognizes “development” as the primary objective. It then formulates, implements, and evaluates policies based on the characteristics of the different ethnic groups with smaller populations. This approach effectively addressed the problems faced by these ethnic groups during different stages of their development and achieved the intended policy goals. Therefore, these policies are practical and sustainable. They are a valuable asset, and studying them could be beneficial to any unified multi-ethnic country that wants to tackle the development issues of their ethnic minorities.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-023-00098-9Ethnic groups with smaller populationsDevelopmentSupport policiesChinese practicesChinese value
spellingShingle Yazhou Shi
Rui Gao
Rui Wang
Supporting the development of ethnic groups with smaller populations: the policies and practices of the Chinese government
International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology
Ethnic groups with smaller populations
Development
Support policies
Chinese practices
Chinese value
title Supporting the development of ethnic groups with smaller populations: the policies and practices of the Chinese government
title_full Supporting the development of ethnic groups with smaller populations: the policies and practices of the Chinese government
title_fullStr Supporting the development of ethnic groups with smaller populations: the policies and practices of the Chinese government
title_full_unstemmed Supporting the development of ethnic groups with smaller populations: the policies and practices of the Chinese government
title_short Supporting the development of ethnic groups with smaller populations: the policies and practices of the Chinese government
title_sort supporting the development of ethnic groups with smaller populations the policies and practices of the chinese government
topic Ethnic groups with smaller populations
Development
Support policies
Chinese practices
Chinese value
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-023-00098-9
work_keys_str_mv AT yazhoushi supportingthedevelopmentofethnicgroupswithsmallerpopulationsthepoliciesandpracticesofthechinesegovernment
AT ruigao supportingthedevelopmentofethnicgroupswithsmallerpopulationsthepoliciesandpracticesofthechinesegovernment
AT ruiwang supportingthedevelopmentofethnicgroupswithsmallerpopulationsthepoliciesandpracticesofthechinesegovernment