IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecanpo/v81y2024icp964-982.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Who should the elderly borrow money from under formal financial exclusion? Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Yulin
  • Li, Hebo
  • Fang, Xin

Abstract

In China's typical dual financial structure, widespread financial exclusion severely affects the availability of formal credit to special groups, such as poor and elderly individuals. Using a sample of households from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) between 2010 and 2018, this research identifies the life-cycle characteristics of borrowing decisions of Chinese households based on the age-period-cohort (APC) model. The results show that the informal borrowing participation of Chinese households exhibits a distinct U-shaped life-cycle pattern, while formal borrowing exhibits an inverted U-shaped pattern. The demand for informal borrowing among elderly households excluded from the formal financial market increases with age, which is not consistent with the conservative and frugal consumption preferences of elderly individuals. Our research reveals that endogenous perturbations of health risks and exogenous shocks from major events, such as weddings and funerals, are homogeneous drivers of increased informal borrowing demand among rural and urban elderly households, but the impact is greater for rural than urban households. Further analysis indicates that the choice of financing from informal channels when risk and shocks occur is not a subjective preference of elderly households but a passive choice under financial exclusion. Thus, alleviating formal credit constraints may play a major role in improving household well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Yulin & Li, Hebo & Fang, Xin, 2024. "Who should the elderly borrow money from under formal financial exclusion? Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 964-982.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:81:y:2024:i:c:p:964-982
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2024.01.012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592624000122
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eap.2024.01.012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shoji, Masahiro & Aoyagi, Keitaro & Kasahara, Ryuji & Sawada, Yasuyuki & Ueyama, Mika, 2012. "Social Capital Formation and Credit Access: Evidence from Sri Lanka," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(12), pages 2522-2536.
    2. Mariacristina De Nardi & Giulio Fella, 2017. "Saving and Wealth Inequality," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 26, pages 280-300, October.
    3. Marcos D. Chamon & Eswar S. Prasad, 2010. "Why Are Saving Rates of Urban Households in China Rising?," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(1), pages 93-130, January.
    4. Islam, Asadul & Maitra, Pushkar, 2012. "Health shocks and consumption smoothing in rural households: Does microcredit have a role to play?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 232-243.
    5. Mariacristina De Nardi & Eric French & John B. Jones, 2010. "Why Do the Elderly Save? The Role of Medical Expenses," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 118(1), pages 39-75, February.
    6. Jonathan Heathcote & Fabrizio Perri & Giovanni L. Violante, 2010. "Unequal We Stand: An Empirical Analysis of Economic Inequality in the United States: 1967-2006," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 13(1), pages 15-51, January.
    7. Guirkinger, Catherine, 2008. "Understanding the Coexistence of Formal and Informal Credit Markets in Piura, Peru," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 1436-1452, August.
    8. Lee, Jeong-Joon & Sawada, Yasuyuki, 2010. "Precautionary saving under liquidity constraints: Evidence from rural Pakistan," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 77-86, January.
    9. Vivi Alatas & Abhijit Banerjee & Rema Hanna & Benjamin A. Olken & Ririn Purnamasari & Matthew Wai-Poi, 2019. "Does Elite Capture Matter? Local Elites and Targeted Welfare Programs in Indonesia," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 109, pages 334-339, May.
    10. Andersen, Thomas Barnebeck & Malchow-Moller, Nikolaj, 2006. "Strategic interaction in undeveloped credit markets," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(2), pages 275-298, August.
    11. Khanna, Madhulika & Majumdar, Shruti, 2020. "Caste-ing wider nets of credit: A mixed methods analysis of informal lending and caste relations in Bihar," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    12. Nguyen Tuan Anh & Christopher Gan & Dao Le Trang Anh, 2021. "The interrelationships among the formal, semiformal and informal credit demands of farm households in Vietnam," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 48(5), pages 776-791, March.
    13. 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.
    14. Turvey, Calum G. & Kong, Rong, 2010. "Informal lending amongst friends and relatives: Can microcredit compete in rural China?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 544-556, December.
    15. Allen, Franklin & Qian, Meijun & Xie, Jing, 2019. "Understanding informal financing," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 19-33.
    16. Nguyen Huu Thu & Pham Bao Duong & Nguyen Huu Tho, 2020. "Filling the voids left by the formal sector: informal borrowings by poor households in northern mountainous Vietnam," Agricultural Finance Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 81(1), pages 94-113, June.
    17. Masaood Moahid & Keshav Lall Maharjan, 2020. "Factors Affecting Farmers’ Access to Formal and Informal Credit: Evidence from Rural Afghanistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, February.
    18. Josephat Lotto, 2022. "Understanding financial inclusion in East Africa: How does Tanzania compare?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 1075-1084, January.
    19. Fan, Ying & Wu, Jing & Yang, Zan, 2017. "Informal borrowing and home purchase: Evidence from urban China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 108-118.
    20. Hou, Liming & Hsueh, Shao-Chieh & Zhang, Shuoxun, 2020. "Does formal financial development crowd in informal financing? Evidence from Chinese private enterprises," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 288-301.
    21. Huan Tang, 2019. "Peer-to-Peer Lenders Versus Banks: Substitutes or Complements?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 32(5), pages 1900-1938.
    22. Yan Yuan & Lihe Xu, 2013. "What determine the interest rates in China's informal market?," Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 179-196, August.
    23. Junjie Wu, 2018. "The Coexistence and Interaction of Formal and Informal Lending in China— Discussion of the Wenzhou Case," Chinese Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(1), pages 97-114, January.
    24. Degryse, Hans & Lu, Liping & Ongena, Steven, 2016. "Informal or formal financing? Evidence on the co-funding of Chinese firms," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 31-50.
    25. Adjaye-Gbewonyo, Kafui & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2012. "Use of the Yitzhaki Index as a test of relative deprivation for health outcomes: A review of recent literature," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 129-137.
    26. Permanyer, Iñaki, 2014. "Assessing individuals' deprivation in a multidimensional framework," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 1-16.
    27. Stiglitz, Joseph E & Weiss, Andrew, 1981. "Credit Rationing in Markets with Imperfect Information," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(3), pages 393-410, June.
    28. Dang, Le Phuong Xuan & Hoang, Viet-Ngu & Nghiem, Son Hong & Wilson, Clevo, 2023. "Social networks with organisational resource, generalised trust and informal loans: Evidence from rural Vietnam," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 388-402.
    29. Kara, Alper & Zhou, Haoyong & Zhou, Yifan, 2021. "Achieving the United Nations' sustainable development goals through financial inclusion: A systematic literature review of access to finance across the globe," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ziyang Zhou & Ziwei Li & Guangyan Chen & Jinpeng Zou & Mingling Du & Fang Wang, 2024. "Digital Literacy Level and Formal Credit Constraints: Probit Analysis of Farm Households’ Borrowing Behavior in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hong Sun & Valentina Hartarska & Lezhu Zhang & Denis Nadolnyak, 2018. "The Influence of Social Capital on Farm Household’s Borrowing Behavior in Rural China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Liqiong Lin & Weizhuo Wang & Christopher Gan & David A. Cohen & Quang T.T Nguyen, 2019. "Rural Credit Constraint and Informal Rural Credit Accessibility in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-20, April.
    3. Galema, Rients, 2020. "Credit rationing in P2P lending to SMEs: Do lender-borrower relationships matter?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    4. Edgar E. Twine & Elizaphan J. O. Rao & Isabelle Baltenweck & Amos O. Omore, 2019. "Are Technology Adoption and Collective Action Important in Accessing Credit? Evidence from Milk Producers in Tanzania," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 31(3), pages 388-412, July.
    5. Louis Atamja & Sungjoon Yoo, 2021. "Credit Constraint and Rural Household Welfare in the Mezam Division of the North-West Region of Cameroon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, May.
    6. Liqiong Lin & Weizhuo Wang & Christopher Gan & Quang T. T. Nguyen, 2019. "Credit Constraints on Farm Household Welfare in Rural China: Evidence from Fujian Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-19, June.
    7. Lei, Jie & Bai, Yiyi & Kong, Dongmin, 2024. "Bank competition and household informal credit," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    8. Wichyada Tanomchat & San Sampattavanija, 2018. "Dependence of Informal Interest Rates and Level of Lenders’ Influence in the Informal Loan Market in Thailand," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 24(1), pages 47-63, February.
    9. 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.
    10. N’Banan Ouattara & Xueping Xiong & Moussa Bakayoko & Trazié Bertrand Athanase Youan Bi & Dessalegn Anshiso Sedebo & Zié Ballo, 2022. "What Influences Rice Farmers’ Choices of Credit Sources in Côte d’Ivoire? An Econometric Analysis using the Multinomial Conditional Logit Model," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 22(2), pages 149-173, April.
    11. Islam, Asadul & Nguyen, Chau & Smyth, Russell, 2015. "Does microfinance change informal lending in village economies? Evidence from Bangladesh," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 141-156.
    12. Aswini Kumar Mishra & Vedant Bhardwaj, 2022. "The Determinants of Access to Informal Credits in India: An Application of Quantiles via Moments Method," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 20(1), pages 1-22, March.
    13. Chen, Xiaohui & Shen, Shaowei, 2024. "Probability causal inference of interest rate fluctuations: Evidence from private credit in emerging markets," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    14. Cull, Robert & Gan, Li & Gao, Nan & Xu, Lixin Colin, 2022. "Social capital, finance, and consumption: Evidence from a representative sample of Chinese households," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    15. Mariacristina De Nardi & Giulio Fella & Gonzalo Paz-Pardo, 2020. "Nonlinear Household Earnings Dynamics, Self-Insurance, and Welfare," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 18(2), pages 890-926.
    16. Liping Gao And Hyeongwoo Kim, 2016. "Testing The Predictability Of Consumption Growth: Evidence From China," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 41(3), pages 21-30, September.
    17. Fan, Ying & Wu, Jing & Yang, Zan, 2017. "Informal borrowing and home purchase: Evidence from urban China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 108-118.
    18. Alexander Karaivanov & Anke Kessler, 2013. "A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed: Theory and Evidence on the (Dis)Advantages of Informal Loans," Discussion Papers dp13-03, Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University, revised Apr 2013.
    19. Cheng, Peng & Wei, Jiuchang & Liu, Yang, 2024. "Give a plum in return for a peach: The effect of entrepreneurial informal financing on environmental corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    20. Hou, Liming & Hsueh, Shao-Chieh & Zhang, Shuoxun, 2020. "Does formal financial development crowd in informal financing? Evidence from Chinese private enterprises," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 288-301.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial exclusion; Informal borrowing; Household life cycle; Health risks; Major events;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • Q14 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Finance

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:81:y:2024:i:c:p:964-982. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/economic-analysis-and-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.