Self-Protection Investment Exacerbates Air Pollution Exposure Inequality in Urban China

Siqi Zheng, Cong Sun and Matthew Kahn

No 21301, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Urban China’s high levels of ambient air pollution both lowers quality of life and raises mortality risk. China’s wealthy have the purchasing power to purchase private products such as portable room air filters that allows them to offset some of the pollution exposure risk. Using a unique data set of Internet purchases, we document that households invest more in masks and air filter products when ambient pollution levels exceed key alert thresholds. Richer people are more likely to invest in air filters, which are much more expensive than masks. Our findings have implications for trends in inequality in human capital accumulation and in quality of life inequality in urban China.

JEL-codes: Q53 Q55 R21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-ene, nep-env, nep-hap, nep-hea and nep-tra
Note: CH EEE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Published as Sun, Cong & Kahn, Matthew E. & Zheng, Siqi, 2017. "Self-protection investment exacerbates air pollution exposure inequality in urban China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 468-474.

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Journal Article: Self-protection investment exacerbates air pollution exposure inequality in urban China (2017)
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