How China’s Rural Population Will Influence its Economic Future, with Scott Rozelle

World Class

840 million people — or about one-ninth of the world’s population — live in China’s rural areas. They tend to settle in the regions in which they are born, and they’re generally not depicted in mainstream media outlets, but they are going to play an instrumental role in the country’s economic future. In this episode, Scott Rozelle discusses how the wealth gap between the richer urban parts of China and the poorer rural areas could contribute to a slowdown in China’s economic growth, which he calls “the biggest problem China faces that no one knows about.” If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and by subscribing to our newsletters and updates.