Parent-Child Co-residence and Bequest Motives in China

Ting Yin

No 09-26, Discussion Papers in Economics and Business from Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics

Abstract: In this paper, I discuss the actual conditions and the determinants of co-residence between older parents and their children in China, especially the impact of bequest motives on parent-child co-residence, using micro data from the gSurvey of Living Preferences and Satisfaction, h conducted at Osaka University. More specifically, I use three subsamples of older respondents (those who live in urban areas, those who live in rural areas, and the pooled sample of both) to analyze the impact of bequest motives and other factors on the probability of parent-child co-residence. The results are as follows: Bequest motives are strong in China, with more than 60 percent of respondents having a bequest motive, and the parent-child co-residence rate is also high (just under 60 percent). Bequest motives do not have a significant impact on the probability of parent-child co-residence in any of the three samples. However, in urban areas of China, if older parents own their own homes, the probability that they co-reside with their children increases as the value of their home increases. In rural areas of China and in the country as a whole, the coefficient of parental income is positive and significant in some cases, meaning that children are more likely to live with their parents if parental income is higher. All of these results suggest that, in both urban and rural areas of China, the Chinese are selfishly motivated and the life-cycle model applies.

Keywords: Bequest motives; parent-child co-residence; life-cycle hypothesis; altruism model; strategic bequest motive. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 E21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2009-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-dev and nep-tra
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http://www2.econ.osaka-u.ac.jp/library/global/dp/0926.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Parent-child co-residence and bequest motives in China (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osk:wpaper:0926

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