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Returns to military service in off-farm wage employment: Evidence from rural China

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  • Hou, Benyufang
  • Liu, Hong
  • Wang, Sophie Xuefei

Abstract

This paper studies the returns to military service in off-farm wage employment and the implications of military service on the rural-urban transition in rural China. We exploit government-induced variations in aggregate enrollment rates as our instrumental variable. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies, we find a substantial positive effect of military service on off-farm wage employment and earnings for men of rural origin, which is comparable in magnitude to the estimated returns to a college education in China. We also provide evidence that the earnings premium is likely to be explained by improved access to urban formal employment, political and human capital accumulation. However, in spite of the off-farm employment gain for all cohorts, we find that the positive earnings premium of military service is mainly concentrated among the pre-1970 cohort.

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  • Hou, Benyufang & Liu, Hong & Wang, Sophie Xuefei, 2020. "Returns to military service in off-farm wage employment: Evidence from rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:59:y:2020:i:c:s1043951x19301221
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2019.101361
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    4. Wang, Wei & Liang, Qiaozhuan & Mahto, Raj V. & Deng, Wei & Zhang, Stephen X., 2020. "Entrepreneurial entry: The role of social media," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Military service; Earnings; Off-farm employment; Instrumental variables; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J43 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Agricultural Labor Markets
    • N35 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Asia including Middle East

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