Costly Posturing: Ceremonies and Early Child Development in China

Xi Chen and Xiaobo Zhang

No 10662, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Participating in and presenting gifts at funerals, weddings, and other ceremonies held by friends and neighbors have been regarded as social norms in many parts of the world for thousands of years. However, due to the reciprocal nature of gift giving, it is more burdensome for the poor to take part in these social occasions than for the rich. Because the poor often lack the necessary resources, they are forced to cut back on basic consumption, such as food, in order to afford a gift to attend the social festivals. For pregnant women in poor families, such a reduction in nutrition intake as a result of gift-giving can have a lasting detrimental health impact on their children. Using a primary census-type panel household survey in rural China, this paper provides empirical evidence on the squeeze effect of gift giving.

Keywords: economic status; squeeze effects; food consumption; gift-giving; stunting; malnutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 I14 I32 O15 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 47 pages
Date: 2017-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna and nep-tra
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