• papertowels
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    7 months ago

    Since you bring up their income, do you have some data for the flip side of the coin - how much was cost of living for those people? I grew up with my Chinese dad telling me about buying the day’s vegetables for like a nickel. Granted that was before the 80s, so I’d be interested in any data you have to share.

    I’m not op.

    Also, a bit of a wry aside, you might actually struggle to find people voicing their dissatisfaction due to the fear of the government relayed multiple times in the article :)

    • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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      7 months ago

      The $2 per day is a figure used by the World Bank. According to this page:

      The welfare of people living in different countries can be compared by adjusting for differences in the purchasing power of their currencies.

      I don’t know the exact details of the World Bank’s methodology, but I believe the $2 figure is adjusted based on purchasing power.

      • papertowels
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        7 months ago

        That sent me down a cool rabbit hole, thanks!

        Industrialization is a hell of a drug. During the same period apparently the wealth gap shot up, so chinas got that to contend with. Best of luck to them.