Matthieu Clément

Remittances and Household Expenditure Patterns in Tajikistan: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

The object of this article is to assess the impact of remittances on household expenditure patterns in Tajikistan. More specifically, the paper applies propensity score matching methods to the 2003 Tajikistan Living Standards Measurement Survey. The results do not provide evidence of a productive use of remittances since neither internal nor external remittances have a positive effect on investment expenditures. Migration and remittances are therefore interpreted as short-term coping strategies that help dependent households achieve a basic level of consumption.

In search of the elusive Chinese urban middle class: an exploratory analysis

This article aims to identify and characterise the Chinese urban middle class. We propose to improve the description of the middle class using an innovative approach combining an economic approach (based on income) and a sociological approach (based on education and occupation). The empirical investigations conducted as part of this research are based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey (2009). First, we define the middle income class as households with an annual per capita income between 10,000 yuan and the 95th percentile. On this basis, approximately 50% of urban households may be said to belong to the middle class. Second, we use information on employment and education to characterise the heterogeneity of the middle income class. Using clustering methods, we identify four groups: (i) the elderly and the inactive middle class, mainly composed of pensioners; (ii) the old middle class, composed of self-employed workers; (iii) the marginal middle class, composed of skilled and unskilled workers; and (iv) the new middle class, composed of highly educated wage earners in the public sector. We show that the different groups have distinctive features based on variables such as housing and household appliances and equipment.

Social class and body weight among Chinese urban adults: the role of the middle classes in the nutrition transition.

While a plethoric empirical literature addresses the relationship between socio-economic status and body weight, little is known about the influence of social class on nutritional outcomes, particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the analysis of the social determinants of adult body weight in urban China by taking into account the influence of social class. More specifically, we propose to analyse the position of the Chinese urban middle class in terms of being overweight or obese. The empirical investigations conducted as part of this research are based on a sample of 1320 households and 2841 adults from the China Health and Nutrition Survey for 2009. For the first step, we combine an economic approach and a sociological approach to identify social classes at household level. First, households with an annual per capita income between 10,000 Yuan and the 95th income percentile are considered as members of the middle class. Second, we strengthen the characterization of the middle class using information on education and employment. By applying clustering methods, we identify four groups: the elderly and inactive middle class, the old middle class, the lower middle class and the new middle class. For the second step, we implement an econometric analysis to assess the influence of social class on adult body mass index and on the probability of being overweight or obese. We use multinomial treatment regressions to deal with the endogeneity of the social class variable. Our results show that among the four subgroups of the urban middle class, the new middle class is the only one to be relatively well-protected against obesity. We suggest that this group plays a special role in adopting healthier food consumption habits and seems to be at a more advanced stage of the nutrition transition.

Does social class affect nutrition knowledge and food preferences among Chinese urban adults

The purpose of this article is to analyse the influence of social class on nutrition knowledge and food preferences among Chinese urban adults with an emphasis on the middle class. The empirical investigations conducted as part of this research are based on data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey for 2009. First, we propose a multidimensional definition of social class that combines income, occupation and education to highlight the heterogeneity of the Chinese middle class. We identify four distinct groups: the elderly and inactive middle class, the old middle class, the lower middle class and the new middle class. In a second step, we assess the influence of social class on nutrition knowledge and food preference indices. Our results show that adults belonging to the elderly and inactive middle class and to the new middle class have better nutrition knowledge and healthier food preferences than their poorer counterparts.

An analysis of income polarisation in rural and urban China

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the analysis of Chinese income inequality by focusing more specifically on income polarisation, which captures both alienation (i.e. heterogeneity between income groups) and identification (i.e. homogeneity within groups). The empirical investigations conducted as part of this research are based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey data from 1989 to 2006 and indicate that Chinese household income is strongly polarised. After a period of stagnation between 1989 and 1997, the degree of polarisation increased significantly between 1997 and 2006, indicating the constitution of identified groups in middle and upper income ranges. Although the level of income polarisation is higher in rural areas, the increase in polarisation is far more conspicuous in urban areas, suggesting that the risk of social tensions is more pregnant in Chinese cities. The analysis of the sources of income polarisation in rural areas shows that the increase in polarisation is closely linked to non-agricultural opportunities. In urban areas the emergence of identified groups in middle and upper income classes can be explained both by the sharp decline in subsidies and by the liberalisation of the urban labour market and state enterprises.

Tentative evaluation of the impact of public transfers on the dynamics of poverty: The case of Russia

The aim of this article is to offer a dynamic impact analysis of the system of transfers in Russia, based on a comparison of indicators of well-being measured before and after state intervention. We shall begin by assessing the impact of public transfers on different forms of poverty and demonstrate that, while the system is seeing a fall in chronic and transitional poverty, there is very little movement between categories. We shall then evaluate the capacity of the system to keep non-poor households from falling into poverty (protection) and to help poor households escape poverty (promotion). Several studies suggest that the Russian system of transfers is well suited to protection but has proved incapable of attaining the goal of promotion. In other words, in its current form it cannot claim to be an effective tool to combat long-term poverty.

Pauvreté, pénurie et transition en Russie : de l’économie soviétique à l’économie de marché

L’objectif de cet article est d’analyser l’evolution du phenomene de la pauvrete en Russie, sous le regime sovietique puis durant la transition vers l’economie de marche. Si dans le systeme socialiste, la pauvrete monetaire etait moderee et les besoins de base globalement satisfaits, la regulation penurique de l’economie limitait l’acces des individus aux biens et services, restreignant par consequent leur niveau de bien-etre. Le processus de transition economique des annees 1990 a, certes, marque la fin des penuries mais a egalement provoque une degradation des conditions de vie, modifiant en profondeur la nature de la pauvrete.

Transferts publics et réduction de la pauvreté dans un contexte de croissance économique soutenue: L’exemple de la Russie

Cet article a pour objectif d’identifier la contribution du systeme de protection sociale a l’amelioration des conditions de vie en Russie durant la periode de croissance economique soutenue des annees 2000. Il s’agit plus precisement d’evaluer le degre de progressivite des transferts publics et leur impact sur la pauvrete monetaire a l’aide des donnees sur le revenu des menages issues des enquetes Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey de 2000 et 2004. Les resultas de l’analyse montrent que le systeme de transferts publics russe n’a pas permis d’amplifier les effets positifs de la croissance sur le bien-etre des menages les plus pauvres. Ces performances limitees sont essentiellement imputables a un ciblage defaillant qui exclut certains menages pauvres de la protection sociale.

The Influence of Distance on French International Trade (1850 to 1913): A Comparison with Germany

ABSTRACT This article tests the influence of distance on French international trade during the first globalization by using Germany as a mirror. Unlike Germany, the impact of distance on French exports to distant markets contradicts the literature in a context of fall in transaction costs. France did not take advantage of the globalization that was occurring at the end of the period insofar as it did not intensify its exports to emerging countries that were enjoying rapid economic growth. To understand the difficulties encountered by France in exporting, we discuss the role of commercial policy and of price competitiveness.