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Costly Posturing: Relative Status, Ceremonies and Early Child Development in China

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  • Xi Chen
  • Xiaobo Zhang

Abstract

Presenting gifts at funerals, weddings, and other ceremonies held by fellow villagers have been regarded as social norms in Chinese villages for thousands of years. However, it is more burdensome for the poor to take part in these social occasions than for the rich. Because the poor often lack the necessary resources, they are forced to cut back on basic consumption, such as food, in order to afford a gift to attend the social festivals.

Suggested Citation

  • Xi Chen & Xiaobo Zhang, 2012. "Costly Posturing: Relative Status, Ceremonies and Early Child Development in China," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2012-070, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2012-070
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/wp2012-070.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Xi Chen, 2015. "Relative deprivation and individual well-being," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 140-140, April.
    2. Chen, Xi, 2014. "Fetus, Fasting, and Festival: The Persistent Effects of in Utero Social Shocks," IZA Discussion Papers 8494, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Yuan, Yan & Xu, Lihe, 2015. "Are poor able to access the informal credit market? Evidence from rural households in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 232-246.
    4. Xiaoyan Lei & Yan Shen & James P. Smith & Guangsu Zhou, 2018. "Life satisfaction in China and consumption and income inequalities," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 75-95, March.
    5. Bulte, Erwin & Wang, Ruixin & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2018. "Forced gifts: The burden of being a friend," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 79-98.
    6. Richard Kwabena Nkrumah & Samuel Kobina Annim & Benedict Afful, 2021. "Household Social Expenditure in Ghana: Examining the Ex-Post Effects and Vulnerability to Poverty," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-15, January.
    7. Chen, Xi, 2013. "Relative Deprivation in China," MPRA Paper 48582, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Xi Chen, 2014. "Gift-Giving and Network Structure in Rural China: Utilizing Long-Term Spontaneous Gift Records," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(8), pages 1-14, August.
    9. Mingzhi Hu & Guocheng Xiang & Shihu Zhong, 2021. "The Burden of Social Connectedness: Do Escalating Gift Expenditures Make You Happy?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 3479-3497, December.
    10. Ding, Weili & Zhang, Yuan, 2014. "When a son is born: The impact of fertility patterns on family finance in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 192-208.
    11. John Kwame Adu Jack & Emmanuel K. S. Amoah & Eric Hope, 2020. "Estimating theFinancial Costs ofFuneral Celebrations inGhana: (A Case Study ofGreater Accra, Central andAshanti Regions)," International Journal of Business and Social Research, LAR Center Press, vol. 10(2), pages 1-17, February.
    12. Jon Elster, 2017. "On seeing and being seen," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 49(3), pages 721-734, December.
    13. Chen, Xi, 2015. "Status Concern and Relative Deprivation in China: Measures, Empirical Evidence, and Economic and Policy Implications," IZA Discussion Papers 9519, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    Keywords

    Households; Poverty; Public welfare; Social values;
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