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Can Social Security Boost Domestic Consumption in the People’s Republic of China?

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  • Wang Dewen

    (Asian Development Bank Institute)

Abstract

This paper reviews the development of the social security system and trends in the urban labor market in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Despite its remarkable economic achievement, the PRC faces a difficult path before it can reform and improve its social security system and provide basic support for all of its people. The unemployment shock has caused rural and urban household income to decrease and has thus slowed down household consumption growth. The provision of broader social security would not only mitigate unemployment shocks in the short term, but it would also guarantee individuals and households more security for spending that could reduce the high savings rate and help achieve a balanced growth path in the long run. The authors findings argue that households with social security coverage spend more and income distribution among urban households is improved through public transfers.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang Dewen, 2010. "Can Social Security Boost Domestic Consumption in the People’s Republic of China?," Microeconomics Working Papers 21881, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:eab:microe:21881
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    People's Republic of China; social security; unemployment shock; savings rate;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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