The quantity-quality trade-off of children in a developing country: Identification using Chinese twins

被引:212
作者
Li, Hongbin [2 ]
Zhang, Junsen [1 ]
Zhu, Yl [3 ]
机构
[1] Chinese Univ Hong Kong, Dept Econ, Shatin, Hong Kong, Peoples R China
[2] Tsinghua Univ, Sch Econ & Management, Beijing 100084, Peoples R China
[3] Michigan State Univ, Dept Econ, E Lansing, MI 48824 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1353/dem.2008.0006
中图分类号
C921 [人口统计学];
学科分类号
摘要
Testing the trade-off between child quantity and quality within a family is complicated by the endogeneity of family size. Using data from the Chinese Population Census, we examine the effect of family size on child educational attainment in China. We find a negative correlation between family size and child outcome, even after we control for the birth order effect. We then instrument family size by the exogenous variation that is induced by a twin birth and find a negative effect of family size on children education. We also find that the effect of family size is more evident in rural China, where the public education system is poor. Given that our estimates of the effect of having twins on nontwins at least provide the lower bound of the true effect of family size, these findings suggest a quantity-quality trade-off for children in developing countries.
引用
收藏
页码:223 / 243
页数:21
相关论文
共 57 条
[1]   EFFECTS OF THE ONE-CHILD FAMILY POLICY ON 2ND AND 3RD BIRTHS IN HEBEI, SHAANXI AND SHANGHAI [J].
AHN, N .
JOURNAL OF POPULATION ECONOMICS, 1994, 7 (01) :63-78
[2]   Child health and school enrollment - A longitudinal analysis [J].
Alderman, H ;
Behrman, JR ;
Lavy, V ;
Menon, R .
JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCES, 2001, 36 (01) :185-205
[3]  
Angrist JD, 1998, AM ECON REV, V88, P450
[4]  
Angrist Joshua, 2005, NBER Working Paper 11835
[5]   Family size and children's education in Vietnam [J].
Anh, TS ;
Knodel, J ;
Lam, D ;
Friedman, J .
DEMOGRAPHY, 1998, 35 (01) :57-70
[6]  
[Anonymous], 1993, DISTRIBUTION INCOME
[7]  
Banister J., 1987, CHINAS CHANGING POPU
[8]  
Becker G., 1991, TREATISE FAMILY
[9]  
Becker Gary S., 1960, DEMOGRAPHIC EC CHANG, P135
[10]   CHILD ENDOWMENTS AND QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF CHILDREN [J].
BECKER, GS ;
TOMES, N .
JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY, 1976, 84 (04) :S143-S162