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  5. Human Capital Formation and Social Mobility in China
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Human Capital Formation and Social Mobility in China

Paper Session

Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (CST)

New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall Studio 2
Hosted By: Association for Comparative Economic Studies
  • Chair: Scott Rozelle, Stanford University

Measuring the Academic and Mental Health Gap between Ethnic Minority and Han Schoolchildren in Rural China

Huan Wang
,
Stanford University
Scott Rozelle
,
Stanford University
Matthew Boswell
,
Stanford University
Cody Abbey
,
Stanford University

Abstract

Despite the increasing availability of evidence on education and health outcomes among Han children, little is known about the academic performance and mental health among China’s ethnic minority groups, whose members altogether exceed 100 million people. The goal of this article is to document and explain the gap in educational achievement and mental health between Han and ethnic minority students in junior high schools in northwestern China. We use firsthand survey data of nearly 20,000 students to determine the prevalence and personal, family and lifestyle-related predictors of mental health issues (measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) in a majority ethnic Hui Muslim community in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to better guide interventions and government policies aiming to improve mental health in under-served areas.

Integrating Caregiver Mental Health into Early Childhood Development Programs: Evidence from Rural China

Qi Jiang
,
University of California-Berkeley

Abstract

This study conducts an exploratory analysis of the impacts of a center-based early childhood development intervention on the mental health of caregivers, using data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial of 1,664 caregivers of 6-24 month-old children in 100 villages in rural China. Caregivers and children in 50 villages received individual parenting training, group activities and open play space in village parenting centers. The results show no significant overall change in caregiver-reported mental health symptoms after one year of intervention. Subgroup analyses reveal heterogenous effects by caregiver socioeconomic status and identity (mother versus grandmother). Findings suggest that early childhood development interventions without targeted mental health components may not provide sufficient support to improve caregiver mental health.

Dynamic Complementarity in Early Capability Formation: Evidence From a Cluster-randomized Parenting Experiment in Rural China

Dorien Emmers
,
Stanford University
Renfu Luo
,
Peking University
Scott Rozelle
,
Stanford University
Sean Sylvia
,
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Abstract

We use a cluster-randomized controlled trial to investigate how a two-year, home-based parenting training program drives capability formation of one-year-olds in rural China. We find that bi-weekly parenting training on child psychosocial stimulation and health promotion delivered by community health workers raises infant skill development on average by 0.18 of a standard deviation (SD) after one year and by 0.33 SD after two years. Analysis of impact heterogeneity between subgroups of children with high versus low early capabilities (i.e., skills and health) suggests dynamic self-complementarity and cross-complementarity between first-year skills and health and two-year productivity of skill investments. Furthermore, based on an analysis of the impacts of compliance on program effectiveness, we find evidence of diminishing marginal returns per visit in terms of skill development.
JEL Classifications
  • O1 - Economic Development
  • I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty