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Rising Intergenerational Income Persistence in China

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  • Yi Fan
  • Junjian Yi
  • Junsen Zhang

Abstract

This paper documents an increasing intergenerational income persistence in China since economic reforms were introduced in 1979. The intergenerational income elasticity increases from 0.390 for the 1970–1980 birth cohort to 0.442 for the 1981–1988 birth cohort; this increase is more evident among urban and coastal residents than rural and inland residents. We also explore how changes in intergenerational income persistence is correlated with market reforms, economic development, and policy changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi Fan & Junjian Yi & Junsen Zhang, 2021. "Rising Intergenerational Income Persistence in China," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 13(1), pages 202-230, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:13:y:2021:i:1:p:202-30
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20170097
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    Cited by:

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    3. Jo Blanden & Matthias Doepke & Jan Stuhler, 2022. "Education inequality," CEP Discussion Papers dp1849, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    4. Battiston, Diego Ezequiel & Maurer, Stephan Ernst & Potlogea, Andrei & Rodríguez Mora, José V., 2023. "The dynamics of the 'Great Gatsby Curve' and a look at the curve during the Great Gatsby era," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121316, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Shiqi Jiang & Lingli Qi & Xinyue Lin, 2022. "The Impacts of COVID-19 Shock on Intergenerational Income Mobility: Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-20, September.
    6. Zafar, Rafia, 2022. "Intergenerational Mobility in Income and Consumption: Evidence from Indonesia," SocArXiv uzcfs, Center for Open Science.
    7. Ahsan, Md. Nazmul & Emran, M. Shahe & Jiang, Hanchen & Han, Qingyang & Shilpi, Forhad, 2022. "Growing Up Together: Sibling Correlation, Parental Influence, and Intergenerational Educational Mobility in Developing Countries," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1123, Global Labor Organization (GLO), revised 2022.
    8. Emran, M. Shahe & Jiang, Hanchen & Shilpi, Forhad, 2020. "Gender Bias and Intergenerational Educational Mobility: Theory and Evidence from China and India," GLO Discussion Paper Series 497, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    9. Meng, Xin & Zhao, Guochang, 2021. "The long shadow of a large scale education interruption: The intergenerational effect," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    10. Jiantao Zhou & Eddie Chi-Man Hui & Huiwen Peng, 2022. "Chasing opportunity? Inequality of opportunity and educational self-selection of interprovincial migrants in China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 69(2), pages 281-309, October.
    11. Feng, Qundi & He, Qinying, 2022. "Does parental migration increase upward intergenerational mobility? Evidence from rural China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    12. Nan Zhao & Wanqing Liao & Jun Xia & Zizhe Zhang, 2023. "The effect of intergenerational mobility on family education investment: evidence from China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    13. Holger Sieg & Chamna Yoon & Jipeng Zhang, 2023. "The Impact Of Local Fiscal And Migration Policies On Human Capital Accumulation And Inequality In China," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 64(1), pages 57-93, February.
    14. Holger Sieg & Chamna Yoon & Jipeng Zhang, 2020. "The Impact of Migration Controls on Urban Fiscal Policies and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital in China," NBER Working Papers 27764, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Chong Lu, 2022. "The effect of migration on rural residents’ intergenerational subjective social status mobility in China," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(5), pages 3279-3308, October.
    16. Lou, Jing & Li, Jie, 2022. "Export expansion and intergenerational education mobility: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    17. Guangsu Zhou & Xiaoyu Bian, 2024. "The impact of intergenerational income mobility on internal migration in China," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(1), pages 183-208, January.
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    20. Tang, Le & Sun, Shiyu & Yang, Weiguo, 2021. "Does government education expenditure boost intergenerational mobility? Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 13-22.
    21. Xiaohe Zhou & Mingda Cheng & Chunhui Ye, 2023. "The Impact of Household Migration on the Intergenerational Educational Mobility: Based on the Perspective of Adolescent Development," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-13, March.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • P25 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
    • P36 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Consumer Economics; Health; Education and Training; Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Poverty

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