IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/chieco/v54y2019icp218-236.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Identifying the effects of migration on parental health: Evidence from left-behind elders in China

Author

Listed:
  • Yi, Fujin
  • Liu, Chang
  • Xu, Zhigang

Abstract

This study pioneers the application of the New Economics of Labor Migration theory to outline and estimate two opposite effects of labor loss driven by the migration and remittances of adult children on the health of left-behind elderly parents through the changing rural market constraints. We use China's rural household survey data and simultaneous equation econometric techniques to estimate the effects of migration on the physical and mental health of left-behind elders. Results indicate that the loss of labor due to migration has a significantly negative effect on the health of left-behind elders, but remittances from migrants can compensate for the adverse effect. This study provides a comprehensive understanding that remittances from migration relax the constraints on household resource allocations in undeveloped rural areas with imperfect market conditions. Overall, left-behind elderly parents benefit from migrant children both physically and mentally.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi, Fujin & Liu, Chang & Xu, Zhigang, 2019. "Identifying the effects of migration on parental health: Evidence from left-behind elders in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 218-236.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:54:y:2019:i:c:p:218-236
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2018.11.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043951X18301664
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.chieco.2018.11.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Taylor, J Edward & Rozelle, Scott & de Brauw, Alan, 2003. "Migration and Incomes in Source Communities: A New Economics of Migration Perspective from China," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 52(1), pages 75-101, October.
    2. John Gibson & David McKenzie & Steven Stillman, 2011. "The Impacts of International Migration on Remaining Household Members: Omnibus Results from a Migration Lottery Program," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(4), pages 1297-1318, November.
    3. Francisca M. Antman, 2010. "Adult Child Migration and the Health of Elderly Parents Left behind in Mexico," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(2), pages 205-208, May.
    4. Böhme, Marcus H. & Persian, Ruth & Stöhr, Tobias, 2015. "Alone but better off? Adult child migration and health of elderly parents in Moldova," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 211-227.
    5. Stark, Oded & Taylor, J Edward, 1991. "Migration Incentives, Migration Types: The Role of Relative Deprivation," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 101(408), pages 1163-1178, September.
    6. Frank, R. & Palma-Coca, O. & Rauda-Esquivel, J. & Olaiz-Fernández, G. & Díaz-Olavarrieta, C. & Acevedo-García, D., 2009. "The relationship between remittances and health care provision in Mexico," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(7), pages 1227-1231.
    7. Shawn Kanaiaupuni & Katharine Donato, 1999. "Migradollars and mortality: The effects of migration on infant survival in Mexico," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 36(3), pages 339-353, August.
    8. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Susan Pozo, 2011. "New evidence on the role of remittances on healthcare expenditures by Mexican households," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 69-98, March.
    9. A. Colin Cameron & Pravin K. Trivedi, 2010. "Microeconometrics Using Stata, Revised Edition," Stata Press books, StataCorp LP, number musr, March.
    10. Hossain, Shaikh I., 1997. "Tackling health transition in China," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1813, The World Bank.
    11. repec:ran:wpaper:774 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Randall Kuhn & Bethany Everett & Rachel Silvey, 2011. "The Effects of Children’s Migration on Elderly Kin’s Health: A Counterfactual Approach," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(1), pages 183-209, February.
    13. Theodore Gerber & Karine Torosyan, 2013. "Remittances in the Republic of Georgia: Correlates, Economic Impact, and Social Capital Formation," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(4), pages 1279-1301, August.
    14. Anu Rammohan & Elisabetta Magnani, 2012. "Modelling the influence of caring for the elderly on migration: estimates and evidence from Indonesia," Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(3), pages 399-420, December.
    15. Kaivan Munshi, 2003. "Networks in the Modern Economy: Mexican Migrants in the U. S. Labor Market," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(2), pages 549-599.
    16. Emi Uchida & Scott Rozelle & Jintao Xu, 2009. "Conservation Payments, Liquidity Constraints, and Off-Farm Labor: Impact of the Grain-for-Green Program on Rural Households in China," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 91(1), pages 70-86.
    17. John Giles & Ren Mu, 2007. "Elderly parent health and the migration decisions of adult children: Evidence from rural China," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(2), pages 265-288, May.
    18. J. Edward Taylor & Scott Rozelle & Alan deBrauw, 1999. "Migration, Remittances, and Agricultural Productivity in China," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 287-291, May.
    19. Strauss, John & Lei, Xiaoyan & Park, Albert & Shen, Yan & Smith, James P. & Yang, Zhe & Zhao, Yaohui, 2010. "Health Outcomes and Socio-Economic Status among the Elderly in China: Evidence from the CHARLS Pilot," IZA Discussion Papers 5152, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Fujin Yi & Wuyi Lu & Yingheng Zhou, 2016. "Cash transfers and multiplier effect: lessons from the grain subsidy program in China," China Agricultural Economic Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(1), pages 81-99, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Chang & Eriksson, Tor & Yi, Fujin, 2021. "Offspring migration and nutritional status of left-behind older adults in rural China," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    2. Liu, Chang & Yi, Fujin & Xu, Zhigang & Tian, Xu, 2021. "Do living arrangements matter?—Evidence from eating behaviors of the elderly in rural China," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    3. Jingyu Yu & Guixia Ma & Shuxia Wang, 2021. "Do Age-Friendly Rural Communities Affect Quality of Life? A Comparison of Perceptions from Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-13, July.
    4. Tianxiang Li & Beibei Wu & Fujin Yi & Bin Wang & Tomas Baležentis, 2020. "What Happens to the Health of Elderly Parents When Adult Child Migration Splits Households? Evidence from Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-14, March.
    5. Huichen Gao & Shijuan Wang, 2022. "The Intellectual Structure of Research on Rural-to-Urban Migrants: A Bibliometric Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-19, August.
    6. Ying Liu & Rongrong Zhang & Ming Li & Chunshan Zhou, 2020. "What Factors Influence Rural-To-Urban Migrant Peasants to Rent out Their Household Farmland? Evidence from China’s Pearl River Delta," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-19, October.
    7. Wei, Min-Fang, 2022. "Does Migration Matter? The Impacts on Senior Food and Nutrition Security in Rural China," International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics (IJFAEC), Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Department of Economics and Finance, vol. 10(1), January.
    8. Rajkumar, Vidya Bharathi, 2021. "Male Migration and the Emergence of Female Farm Management in India," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315329, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liu, C. & Yi, F. & Xu, Z., 2018. "Identifying the Effects of Migration on Parental Health: Evidence from Left-Behind Elders in China," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 276975, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Liu, Chang & Eriksson, Tor & Yi, Fujin, 2021. "Offspring migration and nutritional status of left-behind older adults in rural China," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    3. Hien, Nguyen Thi Thu, 2019. "Consequences of urban migration of adult children for the elderly left-behind in rural Vietnam," OSF Preprints zxyf8, Center for Open Science.
    4. Juliane Scheffel & Yiwei Zhang, 2019. "How does internal migration affect the emotional health of elderly parents left-behind?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(3), pages 953-980, July.
    5. Paulone, Sara & Ivlevs, Artjoms, 2019. "Emigration and alcohol consumption among migrant household members staying behind: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 40-48.
    6. Böhme, Marcus H. & Persian, Ruth & Stöhr, Tobias, 2015. "Alone but better off? Adult child migration and health of elderly parents in Moldova," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 211-227.
    7. Kumar, Sneha, 2021. "Offspring's labor migration and its implications for elderly parents' emotional wellbeing in Indonesia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    8. Francisca M. Antman, 2013. "The impact of migration on family left behind," Chapters, in: Amelie F. Constant & Klaus F. Zimmermann (ed.), International Handbook on the Economics of Migration, chapter 16, pages 293-308, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. Sarah Bridges & Lefan Liu, 2022. "The impact of child migration on the health and well‐being of parents left behind," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(6), pages 1145-1164, August.
    10. Huang, Bihong & Lian, Yujun & Li, Wensu, 2016. "How far is Chinese left-behind parents' health left behind?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 15-26.
    11. Qian Song, 2017. "Aging, and separation from children: The health implications of adult migration for elderly parents in rural China," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(55), pages 1761-1792.
    12. Agadjanian, Victor & Hayford, Sarah R. & Jansen, Natalie A., 2021. "Men's migration and women's mortality in rural Mozambique," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    13. Wahba, Jackline & Wang, Chuhong, 2019. "Sons or Daughters? The Impact of Children's Migration on the Health and Well-Being of Parents Left Behind," IZA Discussion Papers 12370, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Zhu, Ruini & Yuan, Ye & Wang, Yaojing, 2024. "Love, health, and robots: Automation, migration, and family responses in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    15. Pan, Zehan & Xu, Wei & Wang, Guixin & Li, Sen & Yang, Chuankai, 2020. "Will remittances suppress or increase household income in the migrant-sending areas? Modeling the effects of remittances in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    16. AO, Xiang & JIANG, Dawei & ZHAO, Zhong, 2016. "The impact of rural–urban migration on the health of the left-behind parents," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 126-139.
    17. Shu Cai & Albert Park & Winnie Yip, 2022. "Migration and experienced utility of left-behind parents: evidence from rural China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(3), pages 1225-1259, July.
    18. Mullan, Katrina & Grosjean, Pauline & Kontoleon, Andreas, 2011. "Land Tenure Arrangements and Rural-Urban Migration in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 123-133, January.
    19. Wubin Xie & John Sandberg & Elanah Uretsky & Yuantao Hao & Cheng Huang, 2022. "Parental Migration and Children’s Early Childhood Development: A Prospective Cohort Study of Chinese Children," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(1), pages 29-58, February.
    20. Sylvie Démurger & Siwar Khelifa & Béatrice Rey, 2023. "Rural-urban migration as a risk coping strategy: The role of income differentials," IRENE Policy Reports 23-03, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Left-behind elders; Migration; Remittance; Labor loss; Health;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:54:y:2019:i:c:p:218-236. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/chieco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.