Opportunity Inequality in Income Gap of China-A Decomposition Based on Regression Equation

Using China General Social Survey(CGSS)data and a decomposition method based on regression equation,this paper decomposes the reasons for income gap in urban areas,rural areas and the whole country in general into three factors-opportunity inequality stemming from environmental factors,income inequality stemming from effort factors,and income inequality from luck and unknown factors.The results are as follows.(1)From 2010 to 2015,opportunity inequality on a national,urban and rural scale went up first and down later,with a rising contribution from Hukou(household registration)at birth.(2)Estimate shows that China’s opportunity inequality was 24.39%in 2010,28.04%in 2012,peaks at 35.72%in 2013 and falls to 30.56%in 2015,but the percentages would be 8%overestimated if Party membership,migration,and the interactions between environmental and effort factors are excluded.(3)In the 2010-2015 period,the average opportunity inequality in rural areas was 33.31%,about eight percentage points higher than in urban areas.While age and gender can explain the high rate in rural areas,difference in the place of residence is the main reason for inequality in urban areas.Therefore,this paper proposes three ways to mitigate opportunity inequality-coordinating regional development,improving fair competition in employment,and accelerating the reform of Hukou system.

What Drove Housing Wealth Inequality in China?

Although China is experiencing a deterioration in wealth distribution where housing is playing a dominant role,this issue has received scant research attention despite its importance.Combining four rounds of the China Household Finance Survey(CHFS)data,this paper measures and discusses wealth inequality in China,with a special emphasis on the contribution of housing.Our analysis reveals that housing is the largest contributor to wealth inequality,responsible for around 70 percent of total wealth inequality,and its contribution has been increasing over time.Our research ejforts have focused on the housing wealth disparity,exploring its composition from alternative perspectives.The results show that housing wealth inequality has also been rising over time and an absolute majority of housing wealth inequality is due to within-group gaps.Finally,we employ Wan's(2004)regression-based decomposition methodology to quantify the contributions of dijferent determinants to housing wealth disparity in China,and to demonstrate serious biases in the conventional approach that is often used to analyze housing wealth inequality.

China's Regional Inequality in Innovation Capability,1995-2006

This paper assesses both interregional and intraregional innovation inequality in China from 1995 to 2006. It is revealed that the east-central-west inequality has increased over time. whereas the inter-provincial inequality showed a V-pattern until 2003; Both inequality measures oscillated from 2004 to 2006. Using a deeomposition framework recently developed by one of the authors, we determined that the major factors driving innovation inequality are population, economic development level, R＆D, location and openness. The aggravated innovation inequality reflects the growth of China＇s innovation centers in the eastern region and their admission into the global innovation networks. The fact that R＆D is a major .factor driving the inequality suggests that, consMered in the present study, the efficiency of R＆D investment improved in certian regions during the period （1995-2006）. Finally, geographic, location and openness affect innovation inequality primarily through the coupled evolution of innovation capability and economic development, resulting in first-mover advantages to provinces of the eastern region.

Intra-family Income Redistribution and Its Dynamic Changes among the Elderly in China:2002-2018

This paper studies the impact of household income redistribution on income inequality among the elderly from 2002 to 2018. It defines shared income and measures how each family member's contributions affect income inequality among the elderly. The study has three major findings. First, from 2013 to 2018, the role of household shared income in reducing income inequality among the elderly increased. Second, the proportion of shared income contributed by children was the highest overall, reaching 11.0 percent nationwide and even 17.9 percent in rural areas in 2018. The contribution of shared income to inequality was also higher among the rural elderly. Grandchildren under 16 largely received shared income from the elderly, and the income transferred by the male elderly to their wives was obvious. Third, changes in family structure narrowed the inequality gap among the elderly in the periods 2002–2013 and 2013–2018.