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The Wage Premium of Communist Party Membership: Evidence from China

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  • Wang, Hongjian

    (State University of New York)

  • Nikolov, Plamen

    (Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science)

  • Acker, Kevin

    (The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and The Hopkins-Nanjing Center)

Abstract

Social status and political connections may confer large economic benefits on an individual. Previous studies focused on China have examined the relationship between Communist Party membership and earnings and found a positive correlation. However, the correlation could be partly or totally spurious. Using data from three surveys spanning three decades, we estimate the causal effect of Chinese Communist Party membership on monthly earnings in China. We find that, on average, membership in the Communist Party of China increases monthly earnings and the wage premium has grown in recent years. We explore potential causes and discover evidence that improvements in social networks and social rank, acquisition of job-related qualifications, and greater life satisfaction likely play important roles in increased earnings.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Hongjian & Nikolov, Plamen & Acker, Kevin, 2019. "The Wage Premium of Communist Party Membership: Evidence from China," IZA Discussion Papers 12874, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12874
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    Cited by:

    1. Xinxin Ma & Ichiro Iwasaki, 2021. "Does communist party membership bring a wage premium in China? a meta-analysis," Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 55-94, January.
    2. Ichiro Iwasaki & Xinxin Ma, 2020. "Gender wage gap in China: a large meta-analysis," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 54(1), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Targa, Matteo & Yang, Li, 2023. "The impact of communist party membership on wealth distribution and accumulation in urban China," ZEW Discussion Papers 23-057, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    4. Iwasaki, Ichiro & Ma, Xinxin, 2020. "Gender Wage Gap in China: A Large Meta-Analysis," CEI Research Paper Series 2020-5, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    5. Targa, Matteo & Yang, Li, 2024. "The impact of Communist Party membership on wealth distribution and accumulation in urban China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    6. , Matteo & Yang, Li, 2023. "The Impact of Communist Party Membership on Wealth Distribution and Accumulation in Urban China," SocArXiv y4pwa, Center for Open Science.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    political status; wage premium; Communist Party; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • P2 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies

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