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Does A Child Quantity-Quality Trade-Off Exist? Evidence from the One-Child Policy in China

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  • Huang, Yue

Abstract

Evidence on the existence of a trade-off between child quantity and child quality, as suggested by Gary S. Becker, is still inconclusive. This also holds true for empirical studies on China that exploit for identification the country s One-Child Policy (OCP) as an exogenous source of variation in the number of offspring. However, this body of literature suffers from a number of shortcomings, in particular measurement error in the key policy variable (a household s coverage by OCP) and in the outcome variable of interest (schooling choices, i.e. child quality). Using census data for China and a continuous OCP variable that can address these shortcomings, the results provide evidence for the existence of a sizeable quantity-quality trade-off within households with mothers who are Han and have agricultural Hukou.

Suggested Citation

  • Huang, Yue, 2015. "Does A Child Quantity-Quality Trade-Off Exist? Evidence from the One-Child Policy in China," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113215, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc15:113215
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ronald R. Kumar & Peter J. Stauvermann, 2019. "The Effects of a Revenue-Neutral Child Subsidy Tax Mechanism on Growth and GHG Emissions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-23, May.
    3. Liang, Yun & Gibson, John, 2018. "Do siblings take your food away? Using China's one-child policy to test for child quantity-quality trade-offs," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 14-26.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General

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