Livelihood capitals and livelihood resilience: Understanding the linkages in China's government-led poverty alleviation resettlement

Abstract

The Poverty Alleviation Resettlement (PAR) has been extensively adopted in China as a crucial approach towards achieving poverty eradication goals, resulting in notable successes. Nonetheless, this approach poses significant challenges to the relocated households in sustaining their livelihood in a sustainable manner. Uncovering the impact of different livelihood capitals on livelihood resilience and identifying strategies to enhance farmers' resilience are crucial challenges demanding immediate attention. Within the framework of sustainable livelihoods, this research investigates the relationship between livelihood capitals and resilience among rural households relocated for poverty alleviation in China. The analysis reveals that enhancing the social capital, physical capital, financial capital, and coping behavior of relocated farmers can bolster their livelihood resilience. Although human capital does not directly influence resilient livelihoods, it indirectly contributes through its mediating role in coping behaviors. This paper attempts to remedy the shortcomings of previous studies on the relationship between “livelihood capital and livelihood resilience” that disregarded the transmission of intermediate variables. The outcomes of this study bear significant practical and theoretical implications regarding the improvement of response strategies, the strengthening of farmers' livelihood resilience, and the expansion and refinement of the sustainable livelihood theory.