IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i21p5872-d279252.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Private Transfer Payments, Inequality, and Poverty: From the Perspective of Households

Author

Listed:
  • Zengzeng Fan

    (School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Wei Zou

    (School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

Abstract

Private transfer of wealth is a ubiquitous phenomenon in both urban and rural areas of China. This paper took an inflow private transfer payment as the research object and used the China Household Finance Survey data to analyze the impact of inward private transfer payment (IPTP) on social welfare and family welfare. According to the result of logit regression, we found the following: there is an age at which households are least likely to receive private transfer payments; families with living partners (including married and cohabiting couples) are more likely to receive private transfer payments; the worse the health of householders, the more likely they are to receive private transfer payments; rural households are more likely to have IPTPs than urban households. From the perspective of social welfare, the IPTP has seemingly decreased social inequality, especially in the case of rural areas. However, the counterfactual analysis finds that IPTP increases inequality. Analysis from three aspects of income, consumption, and family poverty level finds that IPTP not only subsidizes the family income directly but also promotes increases in family income indirectly. It also stimulates family consumption expenditure, with an increment of approximately 5000 yuan. Although it increased household income, as well as consumption expenditure, IPTP did not have a significant impact on the poverty level of Chinese households. On the whole, the existence of IPTP does not improve social welfare but improves family welfare. At the same time, IPTP has no significant effect on the reduction of family poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Zengzeng Fan & Wei Zou, 2019. "Private Transfer Payments, Inequality, and Poverty: From the Perspective of Households," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-21, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:21:p:5872-:d:279252
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/21/5872/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/21/5872/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adams Jr., Richard H. & Cuecuecha, Alfredo, 2010. "Remittances, Household Expenditure and Investment in Guatemala," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 1626-1641, November.
    2. Becker, Gary S, 1974. "A Theory of Social Interactions," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(6), pages 1063-1093, Nov.-Dec..
    3. Adams, Richard Jr. & Page, John, 2005. "Do international migration and remittances reduce poverty in developing countries?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1645-1669, October.
    4. Foster, James & Greer, Joel & Thorbecke, Erik, 1984. "A Class of Decomposable Poverty Measures," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(3), pages 761-766, May.
    5. Alejandra Cox Edwards & Manuelita Ureta, 2003. "International Migration, Remittances, and Schooling: Evidence from El Salvador," NBER Working Papers 9766, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    7. Mckenzie, David & Rapoport, Hillel, 2007. "Network effects and the dynamics of migration and inequality: Theory and evidence from Mexico," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(1), pages 1-24, September.
    8. Edwards, Alejandra Cox & Ureta, Manuelita, 2003. "International migration, remittances, and schooling: evidence from El Salvador," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 429-461, December.
    9. Barham, Bradford & Boucher, Stephen, 1998. "Migration, remittances, and inequality: estimating the net effects of migration on income distribution," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 307-331, April.
    10. Cox, Donald & Jimenez, Emmanuel, 1990. "Achieving Social Objectives through Private Transfers: A Review," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 5(2), pages 205-218, July.
    11. Kristopher Gerardi & Yuping Tsai, 2014. "The Effect of Social Entitlement Programmes on Private Transfers: New Evidence of Crowding Out," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 81(324), pages 721-746, October.
    12. Acosta, Pablo & Calderon, Cesar & Fajnzylber, Pablo & Lopez, Humberto, 2008. "What is the Impact of International Remittances on Poverty and Inequality in Latin America?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 89-114, January.
    13. Berhe Mekonnen Beyene, 2014. "The Effects of International Remittances on Poverty and Inequality in Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(10), pages 1380-1396, November.
    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. Wenjie Hu & Tiantian Gao, 2023. "Household Wealth Distribution and Its Impact in China: Evidence from the China Family Panel Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-19, April.

    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. Beyene, Berhe Mekonnen, 2012. "The Effects of International Remittances on Poverty and Inequality in Ethiopia," Memorandum 13/2012, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    2. Petreski, Marjan & Jovanovic, Branimir, 2013. "Do Remittances Reduce Poverty and Inequality in the Western Balkans? Evidence from Macedonia," MPRA Paper 51413, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Vacaflores, Diego E., 2018. "Are remittances helping lower poverty and inequality levels in Latin America?," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 254-265.
    4. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13287 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Ms. Kimberly Beaton & Ms. Svetlana Cerovic & Misael Galdamez & Metodij Hadzi-Vaskov & Franz Loyola & Zsoka Koczan & Mr. Bogdan Lissovolik & Mr. Jan Kees Martijn & Ms. Yulia Ustyugova & Joyce Wong, 2017. "Migration and Remittances in Latin America and the Caribbean: Engines of Growth and Macroeconomic Stabilizers?," IMF Working Papers 2017/144, International Monetary Fund.
    6. Gamel Abdul-Nasser Salifu, 2021. "Picking the Right Arrow for the Target: Modelling the Economic Impact of Remittance on Agribusinesss Entreprenuership and Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa," Business and Management Research, Business and Management Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, March.
    7. Jamal Bouoiyour & Amal Miftah, 2014. "The effects of remittances on poverty and inequality: Evidence from rural southern Morocco," Working Papers hal-01880333, HAL.
    8. Nimesh Salike & Jingyi Wang & Paulo Regis, 2022. "Remittance and its Effect on Poverty and Inequality: A Case of Nepal," NRB Economic Review, Nepal Rastra Bank, Economic Research Department, vol. 34(2), pages 1-29, October.
    9. Mora-Rivera, Jorge & van Gameren, Edwin, 2021. "The impact of remittances on food insecurity: Evidence from Mexico," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    10. Filiz Garip, 2014. "The Impact of Migration and Remittances on Wealth Accumulation and Distribution in Rural Thailand," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(2), pages 673-698, April.
    11. Kazi Abdul Mannan & Khandaker Mursheda Farhana, 2023. "Digital Financial Inclusion and Remittances: An Empirical Study on Bangladeshi Migrant Households," FinTech, MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-18, October.
    12. Jamal Bouoiyour & Amal Miftah, 2014. "The effects of remittances on poverty and inequality: Evidence from rural southern Morocco," Working Papers hal-01880333, HAL.
    13. Elisabetta Lodigiani & Luca Marchiori & I-Ling Shen, 2016. "Revisiting the Brain Drain Literature with Insights from a Dynamic General Equilibrium World Model," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 557-573, April.
    14. Hagen-Zanker, Jessica, 2010. "Modest expectations: Causes and effects of migration on migrant households in source countries," MPRA Paper 29507, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Lisa Chauvet & Flore Gubert & Sandrine Mesplé-Somps, 2009. "Are Remittances More Effective Than Aid To Reduce Child Mortality ? An Empirical Assessment using Inter and Intra-Country Data," Working Papers halshs-00966367, HAL.
    16. Calogero Carletto & Jennica Larrison & Çaglar Özden, 2014. "Informing migration policies: a data primer," Chapters, in: Robert E.B. Lucas (ed.), International Handbook on Migration and Economic Development, chapter 2, pages 9-41, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    17. Beine, Michel & Lodigiani, Elisabetta & Vermeulen, Robert, 2012. "Remittances and financial openness," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(5), pages 844-857.
    18. David Margolis & Luis Miotti & El Mouhoub Mouhoud & Joël Oudinet, 2013. ""To Have and Have Not": Migration, Remittances, Poverty and Inequality in Algeria," CEPN Working Papers hal-00907035, HAL.
    19. Taguchi, Hiroyuki & Lar, Ni, 2017. "Emigrant’s remittances, Dutch Disease and capital accumulation in Mekong countries," MPRA Paper 80637, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Gazi Mainul Hassan & Joao Ricardo Faria, 2013. "Are Remittances Conflict-Abating in Recipient Countries?," Working Papers in Economics 13/11, University of Waikato.
    21. Gazi Mainul Hassan & Mohammed S. Bhuyan, 2013. "Growth Effects of Remittances:Is there a U-Shaped Relationship?," Working Papers in Economics 13/16, University of Waikato.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:21:p:5872-:d:279252. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.