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! ]

Markets, Human Capital, and Inequality: Evidence from Rural China

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Dwayne Benjamin
Loren Brandt
Paul Glewwe
Li Guo

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

Abstract

Market reforms are generally credited with the rapid growth enjoyed by China's rural sector. This growth has not been without some cost, however, as inequality has also increased. Estimates suggest that the Gini rose from less than 0.20 to over 0.40 during this period. In this paper we go behind these numbers to explore the nature and causes of this inequality. To begin, we find that a considerable share of rural inequality is driven by local differences in household incomes, as opposed to regional income differences, that have been the focus of the previous literature. We then examine inter-household income differentials at the village level, exploring the links between education, market development, non- agricultural employment, and household income. To address these questions, we draw on a recently collected data set from Northeast China, that was collected by two of the authors in collaboration with Chinese colleagues in Hebei and Liaoning provinces in 1995. For purposes of comparison, we also draw on the Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey. We find that indeed, increasing rates of return to education and unevenly developed non-agricultural business opportunities contribute to the high levels of inequality in the countryside. Of most interest, however, is the implication that simultaneous improvements in educational attainment and off-farm market-development would allow more households to share in the rapid growth in rural China.

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://repec.economics.utoronto.ca/files/UT-ECIPA-BENJAMIN-00-01.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: MainText
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Toronto, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number benjamin-00-01.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 50 pages
Date of creation: 11 Mar 2000
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:tor:tecipa:benjamin-00-01

Contact details of provider:
Postal: 150 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario
Phone: (416) 978-5283
Fax: (416) 978-6713

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (RePEc Maintainer).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
O15 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
D3 - Microeconomics - - Distribution
P00 - Economic Systems - - General - - - General

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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. Dennis Tao Yang, 1999. "Urban-Biased Policies and Rising Income Inequality in China," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 306-310, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. John Knight & Li Shi, 1997. "Cumulative causation and inequality among villages in China," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 25(2), pages 149-172. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Gregory, R. G. & Meng, Xin, 1995. "Wage Determination and Occupational Attainment in the Rural Industrial Sector of China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 353-374, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Yang, Dennis Tao & An, Mark Yuying, 2002. "Human capital, entrepreneurship, and farm household earnings," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 65-88, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Riskin, Carl, 1994. "Chinese Rural Poverty: Marginalized or Dispersed?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(2), pages 281-84, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Kai-yuen, Tsui, 1998. "Factor Decomposition of Chinese Rural Income Inequality: New Methodology, Empirical Findings, and Policy Implications," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 502-528, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Rozelle Scott, 1994. "Rural Industrialization and Increasing Inequality: Emerging Patterns in China's Reforming Economy," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 362-391, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Orazem, Peter F & Vodopivec, Milan, 1995. "Winners and Losers in Transition: Returns to Education, Experience, and Gender in Slovenia," World Bank Economic Review, Oxford University Press, vol. 9(2), pages 201-30, May.
    Other versions:
  9. Li, Tianyou & Zhang, Junsen, 1998. "Returns to education under collective and household farming in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 307-335, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Dwayne Benjamin & Loren Brandt, 1999. "Markets and Inequality in Rural China: Parallels with the Past," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 292-295, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Morduch, Jonathan & Sicular, Terry, 2000. "Politics, growth, and inequality in rural China: does it pay to join the Party?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 331-356, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Shorrocks, Anthony F, 1983. "The Impact of Income Components on the Distribution of Family Incomes," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 98(2), pages 311-26, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Knight, John & Song, Lina, 1993. "The Spatial Contribution to Income Inequality in Rural China," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(2), pages 195-213, June.
    Other versions:
  14. Chen, Shaohua & Ravallion, Martin, 1996. "Data in transition: Assessing rural living standards in Southern China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 23-56. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Rosenzweig, Mark R, 1995. "Why Are There Returns to Schooling?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(2), pages 153-58, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Deaton, Angus & Paxson, Christina, 1994. "Intertemporal Choice and Inequality," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 102(3), pages 437-67, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  17. Benjamin, Dwayne & Brandt, Loren, 1997. "Land, Factor Markets, and Inequality in Rural China: Historical Evidence," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 460-494, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Hare, Denise, 1994. "Rural nonagricultural activities and their impact on the distribution of income: Evidence from farm households in Southern China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 59-82. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Cheng, Yuk-shing, 1996. "A decomposition analysis of income inequality of Chinese rural households," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 155-167. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Yang, Dennis, 1995. "Education and Off-Farm Work," Working Papers 95-09, Duke University, Department of Economics.
    Other versions:
  21. Lin, Justin Yifu, 1992. "Rural Reforms and Agricultural Growth in China," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(1), pages 34-51, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Albert Park & Scott Rozelle, 1998. "Reforming state-market relations in rural China," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 6(2), pages 461-480, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  23. Shorrocks, A F, 1982. "Inequality Decomposition by Factor Components," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(1), pages 193-211, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, 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. Loren Brandt & Dwayne Benjamin, 2002. "Agriculture and Income Distribution in Rural Vietnam under Economic Reforms: A Tale of Two Regions," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 519, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross Business School. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Dwayne Benjamin & Loren Brandt, 2000. "Property Rights, Labor Markets, and Efficiency in a Transition Economy: The Case of Rural China," Working Papers benjamin-00-02, University of Toronto, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Sangui Wang & Dwayne Benjamin & Loren Brandt & John Giles & Yingxing Li & Yun Li, 2007. "Inequality and Poverty in China during Reform," Cahiers de recherche PMMA 2007-07, PEP-PMMA. [Downloadable!]
  4. Dwayne Benjamin & Loren Brandt & John Giles & Sangui Wang, 2005. "Income Inequality During China's Economic Transition," Working Papers tecipa-238, University of Toronto, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Glewwe, Paul & Gragnolatti, Michele & Zaman, Hassan, 2000. "Who gained from Vietnam's boom in the 1990s? An analysis of poverty and inequality trends," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2275, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  6. Yao Li & John Whalley & Shunming Zhang & Xiliang Zhao, 2008. "The Higher Educational Transformation of China and Its Global Implications," NBER Working Papers 13849, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS indexes over 800000 items of research in Economics alone.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-21.

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.