Analysis of development policies in Tibet and their socio-economic impact from 1950 to the present day

This paper examines the development policies implemented in Tibet throughout the history of the People’s Republic of China, giving a major focus to the contemporary period of Xi Jinping’s rule. Incorporating scholarly literature from both Chinese and foreign sources, this study investigates what has been included in measures intended to boost economic development in the Tibet Autonomous Region from the so-called Peaceful Liberation of Tibet up to the present day, how said measures were implemented and what their purposes were from an economic, social and geopolitical point of view. An initial excursus provides a historical overview of development policies across the historical phases of the PRC and how they shaped the current socioeconomic situation of the TAR. Besides identifying the historical development, ratio, and ways of implementation of development policies in the TAR, this study evaluates the wide array of effects exerted by them on Tibetan local social, cultural, and economic life. Since geopolitics plays a pivotal role in determining the political course in the region, particular attention is given in this section to the geopolitical significance of Tibet and how such significance affects the decisions made by Chinese central governments over the course of history with regard to the governance of the TAR, with specific reference to China’s bilateral relations with India and other regional players such as the Central Tibetan Administration. The paragraph dedicated to the issue of social stability includes an examination of the inter-ethnic relations management carried out by Chinese central authorities in the last decade. In the context of these relations, despite not dealing with religious subjects in a narrow sense, this paper inquires into policies concerning the cultural and religious aspects of social life, such as the educational system, since governmental policies regulating the socio-cultural and religious spheres of society represent one of the fundamental causes driving the transformation of Tibetan society which is currently in place.