Households In China Research Articles

Vulnerability of Poverty Between Male and Female-Headed Households in China

AbstractThis study investigates the nexus between household head gender and poverty vulnerability in the context of China's eradication of absolute poverty. Using a sample of 5061 rural households from the 2018 CFPS database, poverty vulnerability is quantitatively measured through the VEP model and the 3FGLS method. Additionally, the Probit model is employed to elucidate the ties between household head gender and rural household poverty vulnerability. The study uncovers an absence of significant disparity in poverty vulnerability between female-headed and male-headed households overall. However, heterogeneity is observed within female-headed households: de jure female-headed households exhibit greater vulnerability, while De facto female-headed households display the opposite trend. Notably, health risks are accentuated as a decisive factor, with female-headed households, especially de jure ones, experiencing significantly higher health risks than their male-headed counterparts. Moreover, the education level, household income, and assets are positively correlated with reducing poverty vulnerability and facilitating households' escape from poverty. These findings provide important references for formulating poverty alleviation strategies and more effective mechanisms to prevent relapse, thereby alleviating vulnerability to relative poverty.

Measures the potential for household consumption: a comparison based on inconsistencies between income and consumption classes

ABSTRACT Class division is often based on factors such as income, occupation, education, or consumption, but different definitions can lead to different conclusions, particularly regarding the inconsistency between income and consumption classes. This article uses the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm to measure the consumption potential of households in China. First, this article categorizes income and consumption classes, identifying households with consumption habits indicative of potential based on a consumption level at least equal to their income. Second, by comparing household consumption potential with Marginal Propensity to Consume (MPC) and considering consumption structures, we explore the consumption paths of different income classes. Finally, policy implications are proposed to promote the release of household consumption potential.

Energy assessment in rural regions of China with various scenarios: Historical–to–futuristic

Approximately 172 million rural households in China in 2022, will still rely on traditional biofuels instead of electricity. This study explores the feasibility of achieving rural electrification in China utilization various Energy origins and assesses its potential impact on climate change mitigation. To do so, we employ the Regional Energy Model (REM) to formulate hypotheses for rural power distribution. Covering the era from 2020 until 2050. We evaluate consequences in terms of greenhouse gas discharges, principal energy consumption, associated expenses by comparing these possibilities with a Business-as-Usual (BU) scenario. Our findings reveal that diesel-based arrangements tend to produce ‘the maximum Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions, trailed by network-based solutions. Electrification focused on renewable energy-driven applications has the potential to reduce total CO2 emissions by up to 97 % and primary energy consumption by 43 % in 2050 compared to the BU scenario. We also find that electrification through decentralized diesel systems tends to be the priciest choice. Rural electrification utilizing renewable energy emerges as a cost-effective choice when the majority of end-use applications rely on renewable energy sources. However, it becomes less economical than network expansions when electric end-user appliances are predominant. In summary, this study investigates the viability of renewable energy for rural power distribution and its role in climate change abatement in rural China, offering policy suggestions.

Research on the Coupling Mechanism between Digital Economy Development and Household Energy Transition in China

In order to explore the relationship between the digital economy and China's household green energy structure and utilization efficiency, an empirical test is conducted based on the data of 31 Chinese provinces from 2015 to 2022 using a two-way panel fixed-effects model as well as a coupling model. The results show that the digital economy has a significant positive effect on household green energy structure and utilization efficiency; secondly, this paper focuses on the bi-directional relationship between the two, and finds that the overall coupling situation is good, and the digitalization level and household green energy utilization efficiency in the regions under the "inverted triangle" pattern are highly coupled. The study finds that the overall coupling is good, and the digitalization level and household green energy utilization efficiency in the "inverted triangle" pattern are highly coupled. This study provides a reference for accelerating the national energy transition, boosting China's digital economy in the reverse direction, and providing green and digital kinetic energy for realizing the overall high-quality development of the economy.

The Impact of Rural–Urban Student Mobility on the Efficiency of Resource Allocation in China’s Rural Households: Optimization or Distortion?

The impact of rural-urban student mobility on the efficiency of resource allocation in China’s rural households is crucial for refining policies related to rural migrant settlement and the balanced allocation of urban and rural educational resources. Drawing on theoretical insights, this study employs a mixed methods approach—primarily qualitative, with quantitative support—to empirically test the impact of rural-urban student mobility on the resource allocation efficiency of rural households in China. Utilizing micro-survey data from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study applies ordinary least squares (OLS) models, propensity score matching difference-in-differences (PSM-DID) models, and endogenous switching regression (ESR) models to ascertain the direction of this impact. Furthermore, this study incorporates in-depth interview data gathered from field research in D County to explore the dynamic mechanisms of resource allocation adjustments within these households. The results show that rural-urban student mobility significantly reduces the efficiency of labor resource allocation and agricultural production in China’s rural households. The impact is heterogeneous across different groups, most negatively affecting households with limited labor resources, lower educational levels, lower incomes, more productive fixed assets, and less self-owned land. Mobility leads to suboptimal occupational choices, resulting in decreased labor resource efficiency. Additionally, it distorts agricultural production by leading to labor loss, reduced investments in agricultural productivity, and misaligned land allocation decisions.

Can broadband infrastructure construction promote equality of opportunity? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China

This study considers the impact of broadband infrastructure construction on household inequality of opportunity. Based on the "circumstance-effort" framework, we estimate the inequality of opportunity index, and we utilize China's household survey data. To identify this effect, we consider the construction of "Broadband China" demonstration cities, and we apply the difference-in-differences method; thus, we observe that broadband infrastructure can promote the equality of opportunity, and with respect to a series of robustness tests (e.g., parallel trend tests and instrumental variable estimation), the conclusion is robust. Furthermore, we observed that by increasing the intergenerational mobility of education for individuals with lower parental education background and by narrowing the gender wage gap, the deployment of broadband infrastructure reduces the opportunity inequality that is occasioned by parental education background and gender.

Analysis of medical impoverishment and its influencing factors among China's rural near-poor, 2016-2020.

This study investigates the determinants of medical impoverishment among China's rural near-poor, aiming to enhance public health services and establish preventative and monitoring systems. Using China Family Panel Studies and World Bank methods, we categorized rural populations and calculated their 2020 Poverty Incidence (PI) and Poverty Gap (PG), with impoverishing health expenditures (IHE) as the primary indicator. We analyzed the data from 2016 to 2020 using a conditional fixed-effects multinomial logit model and 2020 logistic regression to identify factors influencing medical impoverishment risk. (1) In 2020, the near-poor in China faced a PI of 16.65% post-health expenditures, 8.63 times greater than the non-poor's PI of 1.93%. The near-poor's Average Poverty Gap (APG) was CNY 1,920.67, notably surpassing the non-poor's figure of CNY 485.58. Health expenses disproportionately affected low-income groups, with the near-poor more prone to medical impoverishment. (2) Disparities in medical impoverishment between different economic household statuses were significant (P < 0.001), with the near-poor being particularly vulnerable. (3) For rural near-poor households in China, those with over six members faced a lower risk of medical impoverishment compared to those with three or fewer. Unmarried individuals had a 7.1% reduced risk of medical impoverishment relative to married/cohabiting counterparts. Unemployment was associated with a 9% increased risk. A better self-rated health status was linked to a lower probability of IHE, with the "very healthy" reporting a 25.8% lower risk than those "unhealthy." Chronic disease sufferers in the near-poor and non-poor categories were at an increased risk of 12 and 1.4%, respectively. Other surveyed factors, including migrant status, age, insurance type, gender, educational level, and recent smoking or drinking, were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Rural near-poor in China are much more susceptible to medical impoverishment, influenced by specific socio-economic factors. The findings advocate for policy enhancements and health system reforms to mitigate health poverty. Further research should extend to urban areas for comprehensive health poverty strategy development.

The Impact of Children’s Gender on Family Housing Assets

China's household asset investment shows the characteristics of real estate concentration, which reduces the short-term risk-resistant ability of households and restricts the consumption ability of residents. This paper puts forward the theoretical hypothesis that “families whose eldest son is a boy have stronger housing investment motives”. A probit model is constructed using data from CHFS2019 for empirical testing. The results find that households whose eldest son is a boy have a stronger propensity to invest in housing than households whose eldest son is a girl. The degree of local sex ratio imbalance and the risk attitude of the head of household also influence investment behavior.

Assessing agricultural greenhouse gas emission mitigation by scaling up farm size: An empirical analysis based on rural household survey data

Agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Farm size affects agricultural production inputs and thus has impacts on agricultural GHG emissions. However, the effects and mechanisms behind this are still unclear. In this paper, we identified the effects and mechanisms of farm size on agricultural GHG emissions, based on survey data about over 20,000 rural households in China from 2009 to 2016. Firstly, we calculated the agricultural CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions using the life-cycle analysis (LCA). Secondly, the impacts of farm size on GHG emissions intensity were explored with a fixed effect model, based on the long-term rural household survey data. Finally, the mechanisms were tested by the mediation effect model. The results showed that a 1 % increase in farm size, on average, could reduce the GHG emissions intensity of rural households by 0.245 % from 2009 to 2016. The mechanism analysis showed that the larger farm size reduced GHG emissions intensity mainly by reducing the non-fixed input intensity and raising fixed input investment. By identifying the impacts and mechanisms of farm size on agricultural GHG emissions, this paper aims to provide insights for policymakers to achieve China's goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.

Human capital of grassroots leaders and vulnerability to poverty: Evidence from rural China

This study examines the impact of the educational level of grassroots leaders on the vulnerability to poverty among villagers in China, using panel data from the National Fixed-Point Survey (NFS) from 2003 to 2015. Our findings indicate that a higher proportion of village cadres with a high school education or above significantly reduces the vulnerability to poverty among rural households in China. We identify two main mechanisms underlying this effect: (1) highly educated village cadres possess greater capabilities in assisting eligible poor households to understand and access government assistance programs, thereby increasing household transfer incomes; and (2) highly educated village cadres can alleviate household vulnerability to poverty by promoting local infrastructure development in the village. These results offer an alternative perspective on targeted poverty alleviation, suggesting that efforts should be directed toward enhancing the human capital level of local grassroots leaders or appointing highly educated leaders in underdeveloped villages.

Pro-poor consumption effects of trade liberalization: Evidence from China

This study examines the impact of trade liberalization on the consumption welfare of urban households in China. The results indicate that trade liberalization in consumer goods has improved the consumption welfare of Chinese urban households with a “pro-poor” distribution across regions and households in a region, suggesting that the consumption effects are more pronounced for less developed regions and low-income households in a region. Within a city, differences in the consumption effects arise from variations in household consumption structures and the tariff-price pass-through among different types of products. Across cities, differences in the consumption effects stem from the dual heterogeneity in industrial structure and consumer demand. The variety effect resulting from changes in the types of imported consumer goods also enhances the consumption effects of trade liberalization.

Urban–Rural heterogeneity in the effect of population ageing on the savings rate of urban and rural households in China

As the second populous country in the world, China is confronted with the significant and rapid challenge of population ageing. The household savings rate is inevitably impacted by population ageing. Most existing research has been conducted using macro data from 31 provinces in China. However, most of them lacks consideration of urban-rural differences. Furthermore, there are concerns regarding the applicability of using macro data to study household-level microeconomic issues. Against this backdrop, the objectives of this paper are twofold: first, to investigate the effect of population ageing on the savings rates of urban and rural households in China. Second, this work examines whether urban–rural heterogeneity is evident in the impact of population ageing on household savings in China. This paper conducts a regression analysis on pseudo-panel data from 2010 to 2018 in China using micro-level household data from China Family Panel Studies and employing a Feasible Generalized Least Squares model. The key contribution of this paper is converting cross-sectional microdata into pseudo-panel data, enabling regression analysis within a logical and rigorous theoretical framework. It addresses limitations on existing literature, which predominantly relies on macro data. Additionally, the study takes into account heterogeneity, individual differences, and multicollinearity in regression model selection, thereby remedying the shortcomings of model selection in the majority of the existing literature based on pseudo-panel data. The findings reveal the heterogeneity of household savings rates in urban and rural China, as well as the heterogeneity of the impact of population ageing on the savings rates of urban and rural households in China. Specifically, population ageing significantly reduces household savings rates in both China and rural areas, but significantly increases the savings rates of urban households. Moreover, in the context of population ageing, urban household savings rates are significantly lower than those in rural areas. Policymakers should strengthen urbanization efforts to reduce the urban-rural disparity. In addition, to mitigate the impact of population ageing on savings rates, policymakers should encourage fertility in order to improve household demographics. They should also strengthen investment in education to reduce the burden of household expenditure on education. In addition, policymakers should promote entrepreneurship, provide job training in order to increase household incomes.

The effect of targeted poverty alleviation on consumption of poor rural households in China

Using a survey data of 358 rural households from Jiangxi province of China. This article uses the regression adjusted inverse probability weighted estimation method (IPWRA) to study the impact of precision poverty alleviation on the consumption of rural impoverished households. The empirical results of ATE estimation indicate that precision poverty alleviation has a significant impact on the total consumption and food, clothing, education and living consumption of impoverished households, but has no significant impact on transportation, communication and miscellaneous consumption. Moreover, the poverty alleviation has the largest effect on consumption of education, followed by food.

Family-based Helicobacter pylori infection control and management strategy and screen-and-treat strategy are highly cost-effective in preventing multiple upper gastrointestinal diseases in Chinese population at national level.

The overall benefits of the newly introduced family-based Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection control and management (FBCM) and screen-and-treat strategies in preventing multiple upper gastrointestinal diseases at national level in China have not been explored. We investigate the cost-effectiveness of these strategies in the whole Chinese population. Decision trees and Markov models of H. pylori infection-related non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and gastric cancer (GC) were developed to simulate the cost-effectiveness of these strategies in the whole 494 million households in China. The main outcomes include cost-effectiveness, life years (LY), quality-adjusted life year (QALY), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). When compared with no-screen strategy, both FBCM and screen-and-treat strategies reduced the number of new cases of NUD, PUD, PUD-related deaths, and the prevalence of GC, and cancer-related deaths. The costs saved by these two strategies were $1467 million and $879 million, quality-adjusted life years gained were 227 million and 267 million, and life years gained were 59 million and 69 million, respectively. Cost-effectiveness analysis showed that FBCM strategy costs -$6.46/QALY and -$24.75/LY, and screen-and-treat strategy costs -$3.3/QALY and -$12.71/LY when compared with no-screen strategy. Compared to the FBCM strategy, the screen-and-treat strategy reduced the incidence of H. pylori-related diseases, added 40 million QALYs, and saved 10 million LYs, but at the increased cost of $588 million. Cost-effectiveness analysis showed that screen-and-treat strategy costs $14.88/QALY and $59.5/LY when compared with FBCM strategy. The robustness of the results was also verified. Both FBCM and screen-and-treat strategies are highly cost-effective in preventing NUD, PUD, and GC than the no-screen strategy in Chinese families at national level. As FBCM strategy is more practical and efficient, it is expected to play a more important role in preventing familial H. pylori infection and also serves as an excellent reference for other highly infected societies.

Resident water conservation behaviors among different age groups in rural areas of the Weibei arid belt, China

Understanding water conservation behaviors across various age groups is crucial for developing effective water resource management strategies particularly in arid and semiarid zones. Based on a semi-structural questionnaire survey of 445 households in China's Weibei arid belt and extended Theory of Planned Behavior Model, a Structural Equation Model (SEM) was constructed to elucidate the age-related impact of water conservation knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control on water-saving behaviors. The results show that (1) youth group prioritizes personal hygiene and laundry activities whereas the elderly exhibit lower such requirements. (2) Water consumption varies significantly by age, with the elderly group consumes the least, averaging 62.26 L per capita per day (Lpcd), followed by the middle-aged group at 73.95 Lpcd, and the youth at the highest consumption rate of 84.60 Lpcd. (3) Influential factors on water conservation behavior differ substantially by age: Among the youth, water conservation behavior is strongly influenced by attitude in this domain (standardized path coefficient [SPC] = 0.32). The middle-aged group is influenced by subjective norms (SPC = 0.27) and attitudes toward water conservation (SPC = 0.27). Conversely, the elder group's behavior is dominated by knowledge (SPC = 0.35) and perceived control (SPC = 0.32). Given such distinct perceptions and behaviors of household water consumption, tailored water conservation strategies are essential of water conservation education through social media for youth, tiered pricing for the middle-aged, and water-saving subsidies to the elderly in the case areas.

An analysis of the impact and mechanism of new digital infrastructures on travel consumption behaviours of middle-aged and elderly households in China

ABSTRACT The significant integration of the ‘internet’ with ‘tourism’ has changed visitor travel motivations and customer behaviour. New digital infrastructure currently provides substantial technical support for deep integration between ‘the internet’ and ‘tourism’. In this work, the HLM model is used to match and merge household-level microdata with regional-level data. The goal is to identify the mechanism underlying the impact of China’s new digital infrastructure on the travel consumption habits of Chinese households. Our analysis shows that: (1) Middle-aged and older households will be much more likely to travel, and their travel expenses will also be more intense, as the intensity of new digital infrastructure increases. (2) The development in the degree of new digital Infrastructure will effect the tourism spending behaviour of middle-aged and senior people by boosting their Internet usage.

The Impact of Digital Finance on Farmers’ Adoption of Eco-Agricultural Technology: Evidence from Rice-Crayfish Co-Cultivation Technology in China

Eco-agricultural technology is crucial in alleviating agricultural resource scarcity and environmental pressures. However, financial constraints affect its successful promotion. Digital finance significantly impacts farmers. However, existing research neglects the impact of digital finance on farmers’ adoption of eco-agricultural technology. This study focuses on rice-crayfish co-cultivation technology. It utilizes survey data from 1063 households in China. An endogenous switching probit model is employed to solve self-selection bias. The results are as follows: First, the average treatment effect is 51.5%. This indicates that if farmers who use digital finance were to stop using it, the probability of adopting rice-crayfish co-cultivation technology would decrease by 51.5%. Therefore, digital finance is beneficial for farmers in adopting this technology. Second, heterogeneity analysis shows that the promoting effect of digital finance is a greater promoting effect on older farmers, and on those with lower education levels and higher proportions of agricultural income. This suggests a greater reliance on digital financial services among vulnerable groups. Third, digital finance promotes farmers’ adoption of rice-crayfish co-cultivation technology by alleviating financial constraints, expanding information channels, and increasing social capital accumulation. Overall, the findings offer valuable insights for formulating supportive eco-agricultural policies.

Does culture matter for household carbon emissions? Evidence from “confucian” households in China

ABSTRACT Exploring cultural factors in household carbon emissions is of positive significance in promoting low carbon life. This research uses China Household Financial Survey 2015 (CHFS 2015) to investigate how Confucian culture impacts carbon emission of Chinese household. We found that Confucian households have significant lower level of carbon emissions due to the ‘inhibited’ consumption level and the service-oriented consumption structure; Specifically speaking, larger household sizes, stronger propensity to save, and stronger housing preferences lead to Confucian households’ lower consumption level, and an expenditure arrangement favouring education and medical care shapes a service-oriented consumption structure, which is also a low-carbon emissions consumption structure. Furthermore, Confucian ecological ethics did not notably enhance households’ subjective environmental attitudes, but strengthen adaptive behaviours in response to ecological deterioration, thereby reducing household carbon emission levels. Our research contributes fresh evidence and findings to the study of the environmental implications of Confucian culture.

A study on energy-water-food-carbon nexus in typical Chinese northern rural households

The energy-water-food-carbon nexus of rural households requires different strategies from those of urban households. This study proposes a nexus framework and a quantitative method to analyze the energy, water, food, and carbon of typical northern rural households in China. A system dynamic model of the rural household energy-water-food-carbon nexus was developed. Three scenarios were designed, namely appliance, behavior, and price, with 42 sub scenarios in total to explore the medium to long-term dynamic changes in energy-water-food-carbon in rural households under different scenarios. The results of the appliance scenario show that there is a strong water-gas and food-gas nexus effect in northern rural households. Compared with the BAU scenario, reducing the consumption of meat and dairy by 5% can save 11.89% of gas and reduce 5.64% of carbon. Moreover, the policy simulation results indicate that a policy will affect not only its target subsystem, but also other subsystems, creating a policy nexus. The behavior adjustment scenarios have a strong nexus effect on water and energy, and resource price adjustment scenarios have a good effect on water and food consumption. Therefore, when making policies at the household level, policy makers need to look at each subsystem comprehensively, use the synergistic effect of policies skillfully and avoid the antagonistic effect of policies, in order to optimize the positive effect of policies.

The inequality of household carbon footprint in China: A city-level analysis

Climate change mitigation and carbon inequality reduction are of great significance to the sustainable development. Most of the existing studies on China's household carbon footprint inequality are at provincial level and lack in-depth analysis of cross-dimension of consumption categories. We calculated the carbon footprints in 309 city-level areas in China based on the multi-regional input-output table, and further explored the inequality of household carbon footprints from perspective of cross-dimension with Gini coefficient and Lorentz curve based on the China Family Panel Studies dataset. We found that although the carbon footprint inequality of different areas, income groups and family size were relatively high on the whole, the level of that in different consumption categories showed significant different characters. For instance, affluent demographics possess the requisite financial capacity to acquire luxury apparel, whereas economically disadvantaged cohorts predominantly procure garments at standard price points. This dynamic may engender heightened carbon disparity within the realm of clothing, with a proclivity for greater imbalances observed in high-income strata as opposed to their low-income counterparts. Specific measures for guiding residents to rationally consume luxury food and allocate educational resources, and advocate low-carbon travel to eliminate household carbon footprint inequality in China are proposed.