Private Safety Nets through Inter-Household Transfers: The Case of Viet Nam

Donald Cox (), John Fetzer and Emmanuel Jiminez
Additional contact information
John Fetzer: Boston College
Emmanuel Jiminez: World Bank

No 330., Boston College Working Papers in Economics from Boston College Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper uses the Viet Nam Living Standards Survey (VNLSS) to provide a snapshot of private transfer activity. We investigate private transfer patterns along a variety of dimensions, such as age, household resources, demographic make-up of the household and characteristics of the region of residence. We find that private transfers are substantial and widespread in Viet Nam, and their patterns suggest that they sometimes function like means-tested public transfers. They are targeted to vulnerable groups such as low-income households or those stricken with illness, for example. But they are also disproportionately given to the well-educated. A substantial fraction of elderly households receive private transfers, suggesting that they function in part as old-age support.

Keywords: Private transfers; public transfers; income redistribution; altruism; risk sharing; social safety nets; Vietnam (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O15 D13 D64 H23 H42 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1996-01-01

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