This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

The growth of poor children in China 1991-2000: why food subsidies may matter

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Lars Osberg (Department of Economics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, B3H 3J5)
Jiaping Shao (Department of Economics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, B3H 3J5)
Kuan Xu (Department of Economics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, B3H 3J5)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

How did rapid growth in per capita income and rising income inequality during 1991-2000 in China affect the health status of Chinese children, given that the disappearance in the 1990s of subsidized food coupons simultaneously increased the importance of money income in enabling consumption of basic foods by poor families? Using the China Health and Nutrition Survey data for 1991, 1993, 1997, and 2000 on 4400 households in nine provinces, we examine the height-for-age of Chinese children aged 2-13, with particular emphasis on the growth of children living in poor households. We use mean regression and quantile regression models to isolate the dynamic impact of poverty status and food coupon use on child height-for-age. Our principal findings are: (i) controlling for standard variables (e.g. parents' weight, height, and education) poverty is correlated with slower growth in height-for-age between 1997 and 2000 but not earlier; (ii) in 2000, poverty is negatively correlated with strong growth in height-for-age; and (iii) food coupon use in earlier periods correlates positively with growth in height-for-age. The general moral is the crucial social protection role that subsidized food programmes can potentially play in maintaining the health of poor children. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/hec.1463
File Format: text/html
File Function: Link to full text; subscription required
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Article provided by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. in its journal Health Economics.

Volume (Year): 18 (2009)
Issue (Month): S1 ()
Pages: S89-S108
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:18:y:2009:i:s1:p:s89-s108

Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/5749

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Christopher F. Baum).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Harold Alderman & John Hoddinott & Bill Kinsey, 2006. "Long term consequences of early childhood malnutrition," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 58(3), pages 450-474, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Handa, Sudhanshu, 1999. "Maternal Education and Child Height," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 47(2), pages 421-39, January.
  3. Thomas, D & Lavy, V & Strauss, J, 1996. "Public Policy and Anthropometric Outcomes in the Cote d'Ivoire," Papers 96-19, RAND - Reprint Series.
    Other versions:
  4. Wagstaff, Adam & van Doorslaer, Eddy & Watanabe, Naoko, 2003. "On decomposing the causes of health sector inequalities with an application to malnutrition inequalities in Vietnam," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 112(1), pages 207-223, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Sanjay G. Reddy & Camelia Minoiu, 2006. "Chinese Poverty: Assessing the Impact of Alternative Assumptions," Working Papers 25, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Strauss, John & Thomas, Duncan, 1996. "Measurement and Mismeasurement of Social Indicators," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(2), pages 30-34, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Kassouf, Ana L & Senauer, Benjamin, 1996. "Direct and Indirect Effects of Parental Education on Malnutrition among Children in Brazil: A Full Income Approach," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 44(4), pages 817-38, July.
  8. T. Paul Schultz, 2002. "Wage Gains Associated with Height as a Form of Health Human Capital," Working Papers 841, Economic Growth Center, Yale University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Mansuri, Ghazala, 2006. "Migration,sex bias, and child growth in rural Pakistan," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3946, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  10. Alderman, Harold & Hentschel, Jesko & Sabates, Ricardo, 2001. "With the help of one's neighbors - externalities in the production of nutrition in Peru," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2627, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  11. Lars Osberg & Kuan Xu, 2008. "How Should We Measure Poverty in a Changing World? Methodological Issues and Chinese Case Study," Review of Development Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 12(2), pages 419-441, 05. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Wagstaff, Adam & Lindelow, Magnus, 2005. "Can insurance increase financial risk ? The curious case of health insurance in China," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3741, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  13. Shelley Phipps & Peter Burton & Lynn Lethbridge & Lars Osberg, 2004. "Measuring Obesity in Young Children," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 30(4), pages 349-364, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Goldberger, Arthur S, 1979. "Heritability," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 46(184), pages 327-47, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Strauss, John, 1990. "Households, Communities, and Preschool Children's Nutrition Outcomes: Evidence from Rural Cote d'Ivoire," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(2), pages 231-61, January.
  16. Osberg, Lars & Xu, Kuan, 2006. "How Should We Measure Global Poverty in a Changing World?," Working Papers RP2006/64, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER). [Downloadable!]
  17. Christina Paxson & Norbert Schady, 2005. "Cognitive Development Among Young Children in Ecuador: The Roles of Wealth, Health and Parenting," Working Papers 239, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Health and Wellbeing.. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  18. Lawrence Haddad & Harold Alderman & Simon Appleton & Lina Song & Yisehac Yohannes, 2003. "Reducing Child Malnutrition: How Far Does Income Growth Take Us?," World Bank Economic Review, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(1), pages 107-131, June.
  19. Sahn, David E. & Alderman, Harold, 1997. "On the determinants of nutrition in Mozambique: The importance of age-specific effects," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 577-588, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? Over 1000 institutions contribute their bibliographic data directly to this service.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-16.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.