We examine the extent to which self-reported health and psychosocial health are affected by relative economic status in China, for the first time examining the importance of reference groups not defined by geographic location or demographic characteristics. We propose a methodology to address...

Because of China's socialist legacy, until recently little attention has been paid to the rise of informal employment. Under planning urban workers enjoyed guaranteed employment, housing, pensions, and health care. The prevalence of informal employment has important implications for public...

Using data from a national survey of Chinese manufacturing firms conducted in 2009, the authors analyze the impact of implementation of China's 2008 labor contract law on the employment of production workers. The authors found that cities with lax prior enforcement of labor regulations...

This paper investigates the effect of a major economic recession on the educational attainment of the next generation. Our analysis is based on nationwide longitudinal registry data on Finland. We focus on the heterogenous effects of the recession on households of different socioeconomic...

Previous studies find that human capital investments in boys are less income elastic than investments in girls, attributing this result to favoritism toward boys. I show theoretically that it is plausible for more productive or favored household members to have higher income elasticities. I then...