Livelihood capital heterogeneity and post-relocation differentiation among poverty-alleviated households: evidence from the Liangshan Yi region, China

Abstract

Identifying structural differences in livelihood capital across household types after relocation is essential for understanding patterns of household differentiation and designing effective support policies. Based on survey data from 677 poverty-alleviation relocated households in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, this study classifies households into five types according to income structure and constructs a five-dimensional analytical framework of livelihood capital, and comprehensively uses entropy method, analysis of variance, and discriminant analysis to systematically examine patterns of household differentiation. The results reveal that standardized resettlement has not homogenized household development capacity, but rather restructured livelihood capital configurations in ways that render pre-existing differences more salient. Each household type exhibits a distinctive capital structure--non-agricultural households are characterized by higher human capital, pure agricultural households by stronger physical and natural capital, non-agriculture-dominant mixed households by more extensive social capital, agriculture-dominant mixed households by a relatively balanced yet low level capital portfolio, and transfer-dependent households by comprehensive capital disadvantages. Transitional mixed-livelihood households exhibit unstable capital configurations and the lowest classification accuracy in discriminant analysis, positioning them as a priority group for poverty-relapse prevention. Overall, these findings demonstrate that post-relocation household differentiation is systematically associated with differences in capital conversion capacity. Based on the above research results, this paper suggests that support policies should shift from uniform assistance toward differentiated interventions aligned with the specific capital endowments of each household type.