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Regional agricultural cooperatives and subjective wellbeing of rural households in China

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  • Lei Wu
  • Chuanjian Li
  • Yang Gao

Abstract

This study conducted an empirical analysis of survey data collected from 466 rural households from Shandong Province, China, to determine how the subjective wellbeing of rural households is related to their membership in agricultural cooperatives, and the mediating effects of income and social capital. The results revealed that cooperative membership improved rural households’ subjective wellbeing. Furthermore, income and social capital both served as partial mediators between cooperative membership and subjective well‐being. Therefore, to improve subjective wellbeing, the role of cooperatives in expanding rural public space should be brought into full play. Moreover, multiple regional development models of cooperatives should be encouraged to increase household income and promote rural regional economic growth. Este estudio realizó un análisis empírico de los datos de una encuesta realizada a 466 hogares rurales de la provincia de Shandong (China) para determinar cómo está relacionado el bienestar subjetivo de los hogares rurales con su pertenencia a cooperativas agrícolas, y los efectos mediadores de los ingresos y el capital social. Los resultados revelaron que la pertenencia a una cooperativa mejoró el bienestar subjetivo de los hogares rurales. Además, tanto los ingresos como el capital social sirvieron como mediadores parciales entre la pertenencia a una cooperativa y el bienestar subjetivo. Por lo tanto, para mejorar el bienestar subjetivo, debe activarse plenamente el papel de las cooperativas en la ampliación del espacio público rural. Además, deben fomentarse múltiples modelos de desarrollo regional de las cooperativas para aumentar los ingresos de los hogares y promover el crecimiento económico regional rural. 本研究では、中国山東省の農村部の466世帯から収集したアンケート調査のデータの実証分析を実施し、農村世帯の主観的幸福が、農業協同組合組織の会員であること、および所得と社会資本の媒介効果にどのように関連しているかを検討した。結果から、農協会員であることは農村世帯の主観的幸福度を上昇させていることが明らかになった。さらに、所得と社会資本の両方が、農協会員であることが主観的幸福度を上昇させる部分媒介となっていた。したがって、主観的幸福度を増加させるためには、農協は、農村部の公共空間の拡大における役割を完全に果たすべきである。さらに、世帯所得を増加させ、農村部の経済成長を促進するために、農協による複数の地域開発モデルが奨励されるべきである。

Suggested Citation

  • Lei Wu & Chuanjian Li & Yang Gao, 2022. "Regional agricultural cooperatives and subjective wellbeing of rural households in China," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(S2), pages 138-158, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rgscpp:v:14:y:2022:i:s2:p:138-158
    DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12502
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