Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
This paper investigates the evolution of inequality in China (1978–2015) through the lens of a dynamic spatial general equilibrium model with migration and capital formation. Due to an urban-rural income gap there is domestic migration from the rural to the urban areas which tends to reduce inequality. The resulting increase in urban house prices can, however, constitute an endogenous barrier to further urbanization. Increasing housing prices increase within-urban inequality between renters and landlords and also lock in urban-rural income differences. The calibrated model explains current, and projects future, development in China.