Search Results (43)

Housing prices are a topic of significant social concern, and public services are a crucial factor influencing migrants’ return intentions. Based on the China Labour Force Dynamics Survey and China Real Estate Index database from 2012 to 2018, this study adopts probit model to explore the influence mechanism of housing prices on migrants’ return intentions and the moderating effect of public services. The results indicate that housing prices have a significant positive impact on migrants’ return intentions, and the level of public services negatively moderates the relationship between housing prices and migrants’ return intentions. Moreover, employing an instrumental variable approach to address the endogeneity of housing prices, the modeling results provide robust evidence of the significant and heterogenous impact of housing prices on return intentions among migrants. In particular, the positive impact of housing prices is mainly concentrated among single urban migrants without housing. Additionally, public services negatively moderate the positive impact of housing prices on return intentions among single rural migrants without housing. By elucidating the correlation between housing prices, public services, and return intentions among migrants, this study offers recommendations for policymakers regarding migration issues in urban development. Full article

In the context of the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy in China, returning rural migrant workers are bound to have a certain impact on the rural economy, and land is a very important factor in the agricultural economy. Using data from the 2018 China Labor Dynamic Survey (CLDS), this study examines how migrant workers’ return behaviors influence farmland transfer-in. To address potential endogeneity, the analysis employs the Probit model, instrumental variable methods, and propensity score matching. The findings reveal that returning migrant workers significantly promote farmland transfer-in. Households with returning migrant workers exhibit stronger demands for land transfer-in and tend to operate farmland on a larger scale. Furthermore, returning migrant workers drive farmland expansion through mechanization labor substitution, enhanced access to agricultural loans, and reduced non-farm participation. Additionally, returning migrant workers who are highly educated and younger play a particularly influential role, underscoring the heterogeneous impacts across different migrant groups. This study provides empirical evidence for rural revitalization policies in China by systematically analyzing the effect of returning migrant workers in promoting land transfer-in and the path of influence on farmland scale. Full article

Background: The demand for long-term care is increasing as the elderly population continues to grow, prompting a critical examination of care modalities. Methods: This study employs data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) to assess the relationship between informal and formal care for older people with disabilities in Beijing. The analysis employs the Probit model and incorporates the application of instrumental variable techniques and propensity score matching to ensure robustness in the results. Results: The findings highlight the important role of informal care. Conclusions: Policymakers should incorporate support policies for informal care into the overall design of the system, provide support to informal caregivers, and reduce their burden. Our research conclusions provide empirical reference for cities with similar characteristics to Beijing. Full article

In recent years, China’s financial markets have come under increasing scrutiny. In order to explore the impact of financial literacy on urban household investment in the risk financial market, this paper used the micro-data of the 2019 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) to start from two perspectives: household risk financial investment and the number of investment financial products, namely the breadth of investment. By constructing a probit model and ordered probit model for empirical analysis, the main conclusions are as follows. Benchmark regression results show that the improvement of financial literacy can significantly promote urban households to make risky financial investments and can significantly broaden the types of risky financial investments. Based on the IV-probit model and two-stage least square method, the endogeneity test using the economic and financial information attention degree as the instrumental variable showed that the model results were credible. The robustness test showed that the model results were basically correct. Furthermore, the mechanism analysis found that the use of fintech played an intermediary effect in the process of financial literacy affecting urban household risky financial investment and the amount of investment. This indicates that the improvement of financial literacy can improve the probability of using fintech, thus promoting the household risky financial investment behavior. Heterogeneity analysis based on risk attitude showed that financial literacy had a greater effect on the improvement in the risky financial investment behavior of risk-inclined families, followed by risk-neutral families, and had the least effect on risk-averse families. The research conclusions of this paper are of practical significance to solve the problems related to urban household financial market investment. Therefore, this paper puts forward some suggestions for reference, especially in terms of financial education and the digital economy. Full article

This study examines the moderating role of procedural fairness between land titling programs and agricultural investment. We constructed a theoretical model that introduces perceived security of land tenure and procedural fairness into the traditional “property rights-investment incentives” analytical framework. Moreover, we empirically analyze the impact of land titling and its procedural fairness on agricultural investment using data from the “Thousands of People, Hundreds of Villages” survey held in 2018 among 9596 households in China. The empirical analyses were conducted by using the ordinary least squares (OLS), probit, and instrumental variable methods. Our analysis showed that land titling in China significantly promotes agricultural investment by farm households and that procedural fairness has a significant positive moderating role in the investment incentive effect of land titling as well as significantly improving the institutional credibility of land titling and enhancing farmers’ perceived land tenure security. Full article

Based on the field survey data for 1216 apple growers in three provinces from China’s Loess Plateau Region, this paper adopted Multivariate Probit (MVP) model and intermediary effect model to analyze the influence mechanisms of digital technology adoption (DTA) on farmers’ choices of Fertilizer-reduction and Efficiency-improving Technologies (FETs) from the perspective of farmers’ cognition (FC). The correlation effects of three typical FETs of soil testing and formula fertilization, integrated water-fertilizer fertilization and slow/controlled release fertilizer, were tested empirically. The results showed that DTA could significantly affect the adoption of FETs by apple growers, and FC played a partial mediating role, and there were complementary effects among the three typical FETs. The results were further confirmed by the propensity score matching (PSM) robustness test and the instrumental variable (IV) endogeneity test conducted in the conditional mixed-process (CMP). The results of our heterogeneity analysis showed that the promotion effect of DTA on FETs in the group with junior high school education or below was more significant than that in the group with higher education, and the promotion effect was more significant in the group with large operation scale. Therefore, the improvement in Internet penetration should not be taken as the ultimate goal, but more attention should be paid to farmers’ mastery and effective use of DTA, promote the improvement in farmers’ cognitive level, and implement the “bundled” publicity and guidance strategy of FETs adoption, so as to help in the green transformation of agriculture. Full article

This study focuses on the relationship between mixed religions and family donations in China as the object of analysis, where individual donations are primarily in the form of family contributions. Although there is considerable research on the relationship between religion and individual donations, the academic community has yet to clarify the connection between mixed religions and family donations. Based on the large-scale survey data from the 2020 China Family Panel Studies, this study employs econometric models such as probit and tobit models to examine the relationship. To mitigate endogeneity and enhance the robustness of the conclusions, this research also conducts instrumental variable analysis and robustness analysis. The study finds that the influence of mixed religions on family donations is greater than that of non-mixed religions, but this influence is more pronounced in families with higher donation levels. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that mixed religions have a greater impact on donations in families headed by individuals aged 41–59, females, those with no religious affiliation, residents of urban areas, and families in the western and northeastern regions. Furthermore, the impact of mixed religions on family donations is higher only when there is a combination of one or three religions. Additional analysis indicates that households with lower educational attainment, non-Party members, individuals suffering from illnesses, and unmarried females are more likely to choose mixed religions. Full article

In China, characterized by its vast population and limited land, expanding the scale of agricultural operations through the transfer of land management rights is a crucial pathway to achieving agricultural modernization. Using data from the China Land Economic Survey (CLES), we empirically explored the influence of digital technology use on land transfer-in by farmers. Employing the Probit model and the KHB method, this study examined the mechanisms underlying this relationship and addressed the issue of endogeneity through the Conditional Mixed Process (CMP) model, grounded in the instrumental variable method. Key findings include: (1) both the accessibility and the depth of digital technology use significantly facilitated land transfer-in by farmers. For every one-unit increase in digital technology accessibility, the likelihood of land transfer-in escalated by 6.2%; similarly, a one-unit rise in the depth of digital technology use increased this probability by 2.6%. (2) An analysis of the mechanisms indicates that social networks and credit availability played partial mediating roles in the impact of digital technology accessibility and depth on land transfer-in, with social networks exhibiting a stronger mediation effect. (3) Heterogeneity analysis suggests that the impact of digital technology use on land transfer-in was more pronounced in peri-urban villages and among farmers with higher literacy levels. In light of these findings, we proposed policy recommendations to accelerate the development of rural digital infrastructure, enhance digital skill training for farm households, and vigorously promote rural digital inclusive finance. Full article

How is the probability of a sovereign debt crisis affected by fiscal devolution? Using annual cross-country panel data from 82 advanced and developing countries, the association between fiscal decentralization and the sovereign debt crisis is investigated. We adopt an instrumental variable probit model to address potential endogeneity. The research distinguishes between tax policies and spending policies. The results reveal that local tax autonomy reduces the probability of a sovereign debt crisis. In contrast, expenditure devolution is found to increase the probability of a sovereign debt crisis. These favorable and unfavorable effects of fiscal devolution are more evident in the case of decentralization to local governments than in the case of decentralization to subnational governments. In terms of relative magnitudes, our discrete choice analysis demonstrates that the undesirable effects of expenditure decentralization are greater than the desirable effects of tax revenue decentralization. Therefore, countries should be cautious about the risks associated with fiscal devolution, particularly the contrasting impact of tax revenue and spending decentralization on the likelihood that sovereign debt crises occur. Full article

China’s agriculture is increasingly becoming more specialized. However, specialized production has disrupted traditional farming culture and may threaten sustainable mental health. This study takes Chinese farmers’ subjective happiness and agricultural production outsourcing as the research object, in an attempt to reveal the possible unhappy impacts of Chinese-style agricultural specialization represented by agricultural production outsourcing. First, we construct a theoretical framework of the relationship between agricultural production outsourcing and farmers’ subjective well-being. Secondly, based on more than 3800 household survey data collected by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2020, we use the classical econometrics and psychological analysis methods such as the Ordered Probit model and the instrumental variable estimation to conduct a rigorous impact assessment. The results show that for every doubling of agricultural outsourcing expenditure, the probability that farmers think they are very happy decreases by about 21%, and the probability that they think they are relatively happy decreases by about 9%. The groups affected by the negative psychological impact mainly include farmers growing rice and corn, farmers in hills and mountains, and farmers with small-scale operations. Further analysis shows that outsourcing risks, the weakening of farmers’ professional autonomy, and family split caused by agricultural outsourcing bring unhappiness, and the increase in income cannot offset the negative psychological effect of outsourcing. The findings of this study may bring inspiration to other countries with agricultural outsourcing markets and programs to improve the national subjective well-being. Full article

In the context of China’s forest rights reform, promoting forest land circulation is the key to revitalizing forest land resources and promoting the development of the forestry industry. Based on the theoretical analysis of the effect of farmers’ cognition on forest land transfer behavior, data from 790 farmers in typical areas of Chengdu were used for empirical testing with the binary logit model. At the same time, the effects of the cognitive differences of the farmers with different education levels on forest land circulation are discussed. Finally, appropriate instrumental variables were selected to modify the model, and the IV probit model was used to test the endogeneity of the model. The results showed that the (1) farmers’ cognition had a significant positive effect on the forest land transfer behavior. Among them, in the order of the degree of impact, were the following: ecological cognition, policy cognition, risk cognition, social regulation, and benefit cognition. (2) Among the groups with different education levels, farmers with lower education levels will consider more aspects than farmers with higher education levels when choosing to transfer forest land. By broadening the research into the cognitive composition of farmers, this study deepens our understanding of the influence of farmers’ cognition on forest land transfer behavior. Moreover, it is found that Chinese farmers have strong ecological rationality in addition to economic rationality, and ecological cognition plays a greater role in forest land transfer behavior than benefit cognition, which is of considerable significance for further research on forest land transfer behavior. Full article

In the last decade, the Islamic Bank (IB) has been contributing to global financial development. There are inconclusive results about the function of IB to meet Islamic Finance ethics, particularly sustainability from the IB perspective (called Maqasid Shariah-MS). This paper aims to contribute to the basic research question: does sustainability matter in improving competition in IB financing? This study developed an advanced empirical model from previous theoretical studies that separated IB behavior using MS or less MS. To distinguish this effect, this study employed causal inference with Instrumental Variable (IV) analysis. The IV-Probit was applied to conduct a simulated treatment effect analysis accordingly. The dataset was obtained and combined from two global IB sustainability indicators and comprehensive financial statements of IB across 35 banks in 12 countries. The results confirm that applying IB in different MS with similar increasing level of competition produce different growth of financing. The IB with MS has larger financing than less MS. These results confirm that sustainability matters for improving competition and financing growth. Full article

Compared with the urban aging population, the rural aging population in China is larger, and is subject to a lower per capita income, lower social security coverage, and insufficient security capacity. Therefore, ensuring the health of middle-aged and older farmers is an inevitable requirement for maintaining the stability of rural areas and society. This study uses data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) 2018, an ordered probit model and instrumental variable approach to empirically analyze the effect of land circulation out on the physical health of middle-aged and older farmers over 45. The results indicate that land circulation out positively and significantly affects farmers’ health. Again, farmer’s non-agricultural work and household income play a significant role in this positive relationship between land circulation out and farmers’ health. Thus, the promotion of non-agricultural work for farmers and household income enhancement could alleviate household budget constraints while increasing health investment. The findings provide policies advocating for rural health development from land circulation perspectives. Full article

Specialization may lead to higher income for small-scale farmers but comes with increased risks, while diversification can mitigate risks and foster agricultural sustainability. Considering the influences of complex risks and farmers’ subjective risk aversion, the decision for small-scale farmers to specialize in citrus cultivation or diversify with multiple crops remains uncertain. There is currently limited understanding of this issue among citrus smallholders in rural China. This study aims to fill this empirical gap by examining the impact of smallholder farmers’ subjective risk aversion on their choice between citrus monoculture and crop diversification. It utilizes a subjective risk assessment approach that incorporates farmers’ risk perceptions and risk attitudes towards citrus farming. Farm crop diversification is assessed through the utilization of both the count index and Shannon index. The empirical analysis employs survey data obtained from citrus growers in Guangxi, China, and applies an instrumental variable regression method with endogeneity consideration using the IV-Probit model and 2SLS model estimation. The results reveal that both risk perceptions and risk attitudes play important roles in citrus smallholders’ land allocation decisions. Specifically, citrus farmers who perceive higher risks and adopt risk-averse attitudes are statistically more inclined to engage in land use diversification practices, including the practice of growing citrus as well as other crops, which contributes to reducing the risks of citrus farming and promoting local environmental conservation. These results contribute to a better scholarly comprehension of the relationship between risk perceptions, risk attitudes, and crop diversification among small-scale citrus farmers. They provide valuable insights for enhancing the sustainability of land use systems with citrus farming while also emphasizing the importance of maintaining essential diversification in small-scale farming throughout the process of agricultural modernization. Full article

Rural women in developing nations are especially vulnerable to higher health risks due to environmental pollution exposure and are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes. Using data from the 2013 China General Social Survey CGSS2013, this study empirically examined the relationship among environmental knowledge (EK), pollution, health investment (i.e., holding and purchasing a public health insurance policy, engaging in frequent physical activity, and acquiring commercial insurance), and health status. The sample was composed of 1930 women residing in rural regions in China. Three main research questions are investigated: whether environmental knowledge affects health investment and health status, whether health investments impact health status, and whether the relationship between environmental knowledge and health status is mediated by health investment. Our results showed that the level of EK for women in rural China significantly impacted their self-reported physical and mental health. To account for potential endogeneity due to mutual causality, this study employed television usage and network usage as two instrumental variables (IVs) of EK and used an IV-probit method. Additionally, we estimated a model that replaced health status with the variable Body Mass Index (BMI) to assess the reliability and robustness of our results. The results were consistent, providing evidence of robustness. Additionally, we examined the relationship between health investment (holding and purchasing a public health insurance policy, engaging in frequent physical activity, and acquiring commercial insurance) and health status. Our results indicated that the level of EK had no significant impact on participating in the new rural cooperative medical system. However, the preference for purchasing commercial insurance was positively impacted by EK, though it did not directly affect health status. Conversely, an increase in EK and pollution was associated with a greater likelihood of engaging in physical exercise, which, in turn, improved overall mental health. Full article