Ye Xingqing Yin Haodong Cheng Yu Zhao Junchao
The huge poverty alleviation assets formed through various channels during the poverty alleviation period, especially the operational poverty alleviation assets, have played an important role in promoting the income of poor households and the collective economic development of poor villages. However, there are generally problems such as unclear bases, difficulties in confirming rights, rebuilding light pipes, and weak anti-risk capabilities, and there is great uncertainty about whether these poverty alleviation assets can continue to operate stably during the transition period and after the end of the transition period. Strengthening poverty alleviation asset management and improving operational stability should be taken as the core link in consolidating and expanding the results of poverty alleviation and organically linking poverty alleviation and rural revitalization strategies to ensure that rural low-income people and underdeveloped villages continue to benefit.
The huge amount of poverty alleviation assets is an important source of income for poor households and collective economic income in poor villages during the period of poverty alleviation
Poverty alleviation assets refer to assets formed by special financial poverty alleviation funds at all levels, overall planning and integration of agriculture-related funds, local government bonds, relocation funds for poverty alleviation, industry poverty alleviation, designated poverty alleviation, counterpart support and social poverty alleviation. Poverty alleviation assets can be divided into public welfare assets, operating assets and household assets. Among them, public welfare poverty alleviation assets mainly include infrastructure such as road transportation, farmland water conservancy, water supply and drinking water, electricity, network, etc., as well as public service facilities such as education, culture, sports, and health; household assets are mainly through financial subsidies, loan discounts, etc., to clearly give all kinds of assets to poor households; operating assets are the most complex, including production bases and supporting facilities formed by industrial poverty alleviation, as well as poverty alleviation workshops, photovoltaic power plants, shops, etc., as well as equity formed by asset income poverty alleviation projects. Equity assets such as creditor's rights.
Judging from the situation in some areas where thorough investigations have been carried out, the amount of poverty alleviation assets is huge. For example, from 2012 to 2019, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region invested a total of 78.1 billion yuan in various types of poverty alleviation funds, forming 45.2 billion yuan of various assets. Among them, household assets are 18.3 billion yuan, public welfare assets are 10.5 billion yuan, and operating assets are 16.4 billion yuan. For another example, from 2016 to 2019, Shanxi Province invested a total of 72.2 billion yuan in financial poverty alleviation funds, forming 58.6 billion yuan of various types of poverty alleviation assets, including 18 billion yuan of industrial development assets, 17.8 billion yuan of infrastructure assets, 2 billion yuan of public service assets, and 20.8 billion yuan of public infrastructure and household assets formed by relocation of poverty alleviation. The eastern region has also accumulated some poverty alleviation assets. For example, from 2017 to 2019, Shandong Province invested a total of 19.84 billion yuan in special financial poverty alleviation funds, issued 14.9 billion yuan in poverty alleviation loans, and the scale of operational poverty alleviation assets reached more than 9 billion yuan.
Poverty alleviation assets in various places are mainly concentrated in poor counties, and the average poverty alleviation assets in each poor county amount to hundreds of millions of yuan. For example, from 2016 to 2019, Yongxin County, Jiangxi Province, formed a total of 1.045 billion yuan of poverty alleviation assets from various types of poverty alleviation funds, of which 21 million yuan were household assets, 930 million yuan were public welfare assets, and 94 million yuan were operating assets. For another example, the total operating assets of Huanjiang County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2019 alone reached 73.56 million yuan, of which 53.88 million yuan were industrial development assets, 15.4 million yuan was equity in asset income projects, and 4.28 million yuan in production equipment.
The income from poverty alleviation assets is an important source of collective economic income and income increase for poor households in poor villages. For example, Weiyuan County, Gansu Province, built 81 village-level photovoltaic power stations, 60.25 MW, 135 poor villages and villages all earn about 400,000 yuan per year through village-level power stations, in addition to the assistance of special hardship groups, village-level public welfare posts, etc., the village collective can form an annual accumulation of 30,000-40,000 yuan. For another example, Yanchi County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, invested in the construction of 74 village-level photovoltaic power plants, each of which can earn about 220,000 yuan per year for 20 consecutive years. For another example, during the period of poverty alleviation in Shenqiu County, Henan Province, village collective cooperatives were established for 547 villages with poor people, so that the average assets of the society reached more than 500,000 yuan. Poor households have increased their family income by employing poverty alleviation enterprises and poverty alleviation workshops established with poverty alleviation funds, obtaining public welfare posts supported by the income from poverty alleviation assets, and obtaining dividends from asset returns. For example, in Huanjiang County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the per capita disposable income of the poor population in 2019 was 9450 yuan, of which the asset income from poverty alleviation projects exceeded 20%, and the asset income of some poor households reached 4000 yuan / year.
The stable operation of operational poverty alleviation assets faces five outstanding problems
During the period of poverty alleviation, all localities are facing the pressure of poor households and poor villages to get rid of poverty as soon as possible, and take the poor households and poor villages as much as possible to increase their income and meet the acceptance standards in the short term as the pursuit goal, and do not pay enough attention to the basic work of poverty alleviation asset management, and some places even only care about the short term and do not care about the long term. Although this was done at the time of acceptance, it left hidden dangers for the stable operation of poverty alleviation assets after the end of the poverty alleviation period.
(1) Property rights relations are complex, and it is difficult to clearly define the ownership of property rights
The number of poverty alleviation projects is wide-ranging, the sources of funds are complex, the asset base formed is difficult to find out, and it is difficult to clearly define property rights. First, the implementation of some projects has a long time span, involves many subjects, and incomplete information, and faces many difficulties in retracing. Second, there is a dispute over the ownership of some projects. The ownership of assets formed by some poverty alleviation projects implemented across villages and towns is difficult to define. There are different understandings of whether some poverty alleviation assets should be defined as state-owned assets. Prior to the introduction of the national opinion, the practice varied from place to place. Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Shaanxi and other places have assigned some poverty alleviation assets to state-owned assets, and Hebei has demanded that poverty alleviation funds be invested in leading enterprises or assets formed by sole proprietorship construction be attributed to county-level governments. Third, there is a lack of corresponding professional knowledge. Some provinces have deployed poverty alleviation asset management work, but the progress at the grass-roots level is not smooth. Grassroots cadres reported that the professionalism of liquidating assets and verifying funds is relatively strong, and there is no suitable reference standard and evaluation force. Poverty alleviation cadres and village cadres generally do not have the ability to make professional assessments, and it is difficult to ensure a fair and objective assessment and registration of poverty alleviation assets. If a third-party agency is engaged to conduct the assessment, the requirements are relatively large. This has led to some places only assessing and registering poverty alleviation assets with clear ownership, such as equity assets of photovoltaic poverty alleviation and asset income poverty alleviation projects, and assets with unclear property rights generally do not have the right to confirm, evaluate and register.
(2) The operation system is lacking, and there is a lack of qualified local management talents
Industrial poverty alleviation projects generally have the problem of emphasizing construction over management and protection. In some places, the equity investment in poverty alleviation funds is not standardized, only verbal or written agreement, and it is not handled in accordance with the Company Law and other relevant provisions. Some localities have incorporated poverty alleviation assets into state-owned asset management through the establishment of poverty alleviation asset management companies, and lack successful experience in how to grasp the balance between improving operational efficiency and reflecting the orientation of poverty alleviation policies. In particular, the industrial poverty alleviation projects in the villages lack a sound management system and talents who understand the market, can manage, and are good at management. During the period of poverty alleviation, it mainly relies on external forces such as cadres stationed in villages to operate operational assets, and it is difficult for most poor villages to find suitable local talents to take over the operation and management of poverty alleviation assets. After some poor counties have handed over their assets to village collectives, there has been a phenomenon of poor asset management and loss. Even if the main body of asset operation is entrusted to operate poverty alleviation assets such as production facilities and equipment and workshops through public bidding, recruitment, etc., it is also constrained by problems such as the small size and dispersion of individual assets, resulting in high operating costs and low yields.
(3) The market risk is relatively large, and there are more difficulties in realizing continuous operation
Operational poverty alleviation assets are mainly invested in breeding and breeding projects, and the homogenization of these projects is relatively serious, and there are generally problems such as weak anti-risk ability and high market risk, and it is difficult to maintain and increase the value of related assets. For example, since 2020, the special industrial projects in some places have been affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the prohibition of terrestrial wild animals, flood disasters, etc., and the market entities participating in the operation of poverty alleviation assets have faced various risks such as slow sales of products, declining operating income and increasing the proportion of bad debts. The reasons for this are that, on the one hand, peasant workers are not skilled, have poor sense of discipline, have slow ideological and conceptual changes, have low production efficiency, and have low product quality; on the other hand, they are small in scale, low in level, weak in ability to resist market risks, and inaccurate market positioning, making it difficult to achieve long-term stable development. In order to help solve the problem of slow market sales faced by the poverty alleviation industry, various localities have carried out consumer poverty alleviation, although to a certain extent it has solved the urgent need, but it is not conducive to the poverty alleviation industry to adapt to market competition.
(4) There are problems in distribution, and it is urgent to clarify new beneficiary mechanisms
The income distribution mechanism of operational poverty alleviation assets needs to be improved. First, the practice of losing money is not sustainable. During the period of poverty alleviation, some asset income poverty alleviation projects have not borne the loss, and the dividend ratio in some places is too high, generally not less than 8%, and even requires a fixed dividend ratio of more than 10%. Even if the business entities have not yet made a profit, they still need to pay dividends to poor households, resulting in a relatively large operating burden, and some business entities are not willing to accept poverty alleviation funds into the shares. Second, the dividend period needs to be clear. The dividend period for some projects is until the end of 2020, and whether there will be dividends thereafter is not clearly defined. Third, the beneficiaries need to be dynamically adjusted. Will the income generated by the operational assets confirmed to the county or township continue to be limited to the benefits of the original lika poor villages, or can it be extended to other low-income villages? Will the income generated by the operational assets confirmed to the village continue to be limited to the benefits of the poor households that were originally established and established, or can they be extended to other low-income farmers? These need to be clarified as early as possible. For some poverty-alleviated households with insufficient income-generating capacity, the sudden disqualification of beneficiaries will lead to a significant decline in income and exacerbate the risk of returning to poverty. If the poverty-alleviated households have not withdrawn from the scope of beneficiaries, other villagers will also have opinions, which may lead to contradictions among the masses. The Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Follow-up Management of Assets of Poverty Alleviation Projects has not yet made clear provisions on the distribution and use of proceeds, but only requires that "the distribution of income from operating assets shall be implemented in accordance with the current asset management system." Where the system is not clearly stipulated, a specific distribution plan should be proposed through democratic decision-making procedures, reflecting precise and differentiated support." At present, some places have not yet clarified how to define the beneficiary groups and the scope of use of asset returns after the end of the transition period.
(5) The introduction of national policies at the national level is relatively late, and the management methods for poverty alleviation assets vary greatly in various places
At present, the national level has introduced more detailed policies and specifications on the distribution of asset income rights for asset income poverty alleviation and photovoltaic poverty alleviation, and the introduction of poverty alleviation asset management measures is relatively lagging behind, until April 2021, the National Rural Revitalization Bureau, the Central Agricultural Office, and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Follow-up Management of Assets of Poverty Alleviation Projects". A number of provinces have issued documents on poverty alleviation asset management before the end of 2020, but there are large differences in asset scope, rights confirmation methods, and income distribution. For example, the period of confirmation of rights is different, most of them cover poverty alleviation projects since 2016, and some include poverty alleviation projects since 2012; the scope of rights confirmation is different, and some provinces explicitly do not include assets formed by relocation of poverty alleviation and local bond funds; property rights are different, some provinces transfer the ownership of assets of cross-village projects to county and township governments, and some places divide them into village collectives. The promulgation of the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Follow-up Management of Poverty Alleviation Project Assets" has eliminated some differences in local policies, such as the starting point for confirming rights is unified into the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and it is difficult to clarify the assets of individual poverty alleviation projects, and in principle to the village collective economic organizations.
Ideas and suggestions for strengthening the management of operational poverty alleviation assets during the transition period and after the end of the transition period
Poverty alleviation assets are valuable wealth accumulated during the period of poverty alleviation, an important support for the poverty alleviation of poor households and poor villages that were originally established in Lika, and also the material basis for the further development of these villages and peasant households after the comprehensive transfer to the stage of rural revitalization. Reform and innovation should be used to promote the stable operation of these assets and continue to play their due role.
(1) Implement the guiding opinions on poverty alleviation asset management at the national level as soon as possible, and standardize the management of operational poverty alleviation assets according to the idea of "separation of four rights"
With the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Follow-up Management of Poverty Alleviation Project Assets" as the program, the poverty alleviation asset management should be implemented as soon as possible to lay a good foundation for consolidating and expanding the effective connection between the results of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. On the basis of summarizing the asset income poverty alleviation assets, photovoltaic poverty alleviation asset management experience and strengthening the comprehensive management practices of poverty alleviation assets in some regions, all localities are encouraged to carry out follow-up management of poverty alleviation project assets from a practical point of view. Household assets should belong to farmers, and public welfare assets should belong to villages, townships and counties according to the benefits, and be managed in a unified manner with other public welfare assets in rural areas. For operational assets, we should deepen the reform according to the idea of "four rights separation" of ownership, operation rights, income rights and supervision rights, and boldly explore the definition of property rights, operation management, income distribution, asset disposal and other aspects.
(2) Complete the comprehensive liquidation and verification of operational poverty alleviation assets as soon as possible, and clarify the ownership of property rights
Systematically sort out the operational poverty alleviation assets formed since the poverty alleviation, register the asset sources, ownership entities, business entities, income distribution and other information of all the operational poverty alleviation assets that have not yet arrived at the household, and establish a management ledger to lay the foundation for the subsequent inclusion in the rural industrial revitalization framework. Carry out the definition of ownership of operational assets according to local conditions, and assets suitable for collective operation and management of villages should be assigned to village collectives as far as possible as the basis of the village collective economy. For assets suitable for centralized operation and management, the ownership of assets can be moderately coordinated upwards, and when distributing benefits, it takes into account the poor villages and non-poor low-income villages of the original lika, the poor households and non-poor low-income households of the original lika, so as to avoid the solidification of the "cliff effect".
(3) Improve the operation and management system for operational poverty alleviation assets
Establish a multi-level management and protection model, clarify the management responsibilities of counties and villages, establish a county and township poverty alleviation asset management leading group, elect an asset management committee at the village level, and strengthen the operation and management of operational poverty alleviation assets. While emphasizing "supporting wisdom" and "supporting aspirations", we should pay more attention to "supporting the system" and "supporting governance", help the former lika poor villages to establish and improve collective economic organizations, improve the ability to govern village affairs, give play to the role of village cadres and local talents in operation and management, enhance the self-development ability of the village-level collective economy, and lay an institutional foundation for improving the level of asset operation. Coordinate the management of operational poverty alleviation assets and other collective assets in rural areas, and all poverty alleviation assets owned by village collectives are included in the rural "three capitals" management platform. Encourage qualified poor villages to establish village-level enterprises and manage operational poverty alleviation assets. Support villages with similar industries to form village cooperatives and implement co-construction, co-operation and sharing. Encourage all localities to adopt the method of open bidding, introduce asset management institutions and business entities with strong operational capabilities, and make good use of operational poverty alleviation assets by means of shareholding, trusteeship, and joint venture.
(4) Establish a reasonable asset income distribution system
Improve the interest linkage mechanism between business entities and poor households and non-poor and low-income households that were originally established on file, and reasonably determine the proportion of dividends. In the future, new assets will be tilted towards economically weak villages to ensure that non-poor and low-income villages can also be supported. Establish mechanisms for dynamic adjustment and reward and punishment of beneficiary groups, and determine the criteria and adjustment principles for the identification of beneficiaries of poverty alleviation assets as soon as possible. After the end of the poverty alleviation period, the income from poverty alleviation assets will be moderately inclined to public services, and the beneficiary qualifications of farmers who have been stabilized from poverty alleviation will be adjusted to other low-income farmers or used for village-level public welfare undertakings, focusing on the newly emerged difficult groups and special difficult groups that need long-term support.
(5) Improve the supervision and auditing system for poverty alleviation assets, and strengthen the risk management and control of operational assets
Poverty alleviation asset management institutions can be established at the county level to strengthen the overall management of poverty alleviation assets and guide village collectives to do a good job in asset operation and management. Implement a variety of supervision measures such as party and government inspections, discipline inspection and supervision, financial auditing, and supervision by industry departments at the county level. Clarify the methods of asset disposal and the rights and obligations of all parties, straighten out the process of asset disposal for poverty alleviation, and introduce third-party institutions to participate in asset loss verification and write-off. When a business entity with poverty alleviation assets is dissolved or goes bankrupt and liquidated, priority is given to repaying the poverty alleviation assets.
Author Affilications: Rural Economic Research Department, Development Research Center of the State Council
This article was published in China Development Observation, No. 21, 2021
"China Development Observation", which is supervised by the Development Research Center of the State Council, sponsored by China Development Publishing House, and edited and published by China Development Observation Magazine, is a comprehensive semi-monthly magazine with development as the main line and economy as the focus, with strategic, macro, regional, world, rule of law, society, culture, frontier, industry, think tank forum and other columns, with strong forward-looking, authoritative and readable. China Development Observation has a wide and stable readership in the academic theoretical circles, party and government organs at all levels and entrepreneurial classes, and has been listed as a core journal or source journal by important institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the National Development and Reform Commission and authoritative databases such as CNKI and Weipu Information, and has been rated as the "Most Popular Journal of Economics in 2020" by the Academic Journal Database of the National Philosophical and Social Science Literature Center.
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