Xiaolei Qian

The Environment and Well-Being in Urban China

Abstract We examine the relationship between atmospheric pollution, measured as sulphur dioxide emissions, environmental disasters, traffic congestion, access to parkland and well-being in urban China, using a large survey administered across 30 cities in 2003. We find that in cities with high levels of atmospheric pollution, environmental disasters and traffic congestion Chinese citizens report significantly lower levels of well-being ceteris paribus while in cities with greater access to parkland Chinese citizens report significantly higher levels of well-being ceteris paribus.

Growth Accounting for the Chinese Provinces 1990–2000: Incorporating Human Capital Accumulation

This paper examines the linkage between aggregate real output, capital, labour, education, and productivity within a growth accounting framework for 27 Chinese provinces between 1990 and 2000. The results suggest that human capital has had a significant role in facilitating economic growth of all of the provinces throughout the 1990s. Regional disparities in factor accumulation are also considered. The results suggest that uneven distribution of resources between the coastal and inland provinces increased the regional gap in economic growth throughout the 1990s.

Private returns to investment in education: an empirical study of urban China

This article draws on a survey of urban Chinese workers in 2005 to estimate the private returns to education and the income elasticity of education. Differences in the rates of return to schooling are examined between gender and between age groups. The estimated returns to schooling are found to be higher than those documented in existing studies for the mid-1980s to late 1990s. In particular, considerably higher returns to education are observed among people aged 35 or under, representing those who received standardised education and entered the labour market during the urban economic reform era. The study finds that the income elasticity of education expenditure is relatively low and that expenditure on education is less sensitive to changes in income than expenditure on either food or clothing.

Working Hours in Supply Chain Chinese and Thai Factories: Evidence from the Fair Labor Association's ‘Soccer Project’

This paper examines the determinants of working excessive hours, defined as working in excess of 60 hours per week or for more than six consecutive days, in Chinese and Thai supply-chain factories. We use a matched employer-employee dataset collected from 15 Chinese and Thai footwear and sporting apparel supply-chain factories, which supply international brands. Matched employer-employee data allows us to examine the effect of worker and firm characteristics on hours worked. We find that in addition to the demographic and human capital characteristics of workers, firm-level characteristics and worker awareness of how to refuse overtime are important factors in explaining variation in hours worked.

What determines employer willingness to “top up” social insurance?: Evidence from Shanghai's 25 plus X scheme

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors predicting which employees receive employer-funded commercial pension insurance contributions in Shanghais Design/methodology/approach - A series of hypotheses are developed to examine whether employees with characteristics that make them more influential constituencies will be more likely to receive voluntary commercial pension insurance contributions. The hypotheses are tested through application of a ReLogit model to data on 103,095 employees enrolled in the town insurance scheme in one district as at the end of 2004. Findings - The study finds that only a small proportion of individuals in the sample receive commercial pension insurance. The most important determinant of whether an employee received commercial pension insurance is his or her level of education. Research limitations/implications - The study provides support for the societal corporatist perspective that employers who place a premium on human capital and invest significant resources in the skills of their workers will favor social policies that target benefits to a selected group of workers to reward their performance and foster commitment. A limitation of the research is that it is based on data collected soon after the town insurance scheme was introduced. The low level of employee coverage may improve once employers become more familiar with the operation of the scheme. Practical implications - Employers should consider social insurance as a labor market strategy to retain staff and enhance the human resource base of the firm. Originality/value - Little attention has been given to the role of employer-funded social insurance within the ambit of labor market strategies designed to enhance the human resource base of the organisation. This is the first study to use micro level data to examine the determinants of voluntary employer contributions to social insurance.