Access to Pensions, Old-Age Support, and Child Investment in China

Xiaoyue Shan and Albert Park

Journal of Human Resources, 2025, vol. 60, issue 5, 1639-1670

Abstract: This work studies how access to public pensions affects old-age support and child investment in traditional societies. Guided by predictions from an overlapping generations model, we analyze the influences of a new pension program in rural China, using a difference-in-differences approach. We find that the program crowds out transfers from working-age adults, especially men, to their elderly parents. Interestingly, the impact on child investment significantly differs by child gender. While adult parents increase educational investment in sons, their investment in daughters appears to decrease. Our findings highlight the unintended consequences of public pensions on parental investment.

JEL-codes: H55 I24 J13 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
Note: DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0321-11555R3
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:60:y:2025:i:5:p:1639-1670

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