Skill Premium, Biased Technological Change and Income Differences

Using 1987-2006panel data for China, we explore the dynamics of the skill premium. The present paper focuses on the skill premium as an explanation for why income differences are so large in China. Our empirics show that： the rise in the relative supply of skilled labor results in an increase, instead of a decrease, in the skill premium; domestic investment is not complementary with skill formation; the skill premium is higher in more developed provinces; economic openness facilitates an increase in the skill premium; whether foreign direct investment induces skill-based technology change or not, it drives up the skill premium. An array of policy prescriptions for reducing income differences and ensuring sustained economic growth are provided.

The Impact of Occupational Characteristics on Income Differences among Urban Employees in China

Occupation is an important variable that determines employees＇ labor income and thereby influences income differences among residents. On the basis of the subsample of data from the One Percent National Population Sample Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics in China in 2005, this paper conducts an empirical analysis of the relationship between occupation and income differences. It finds that inter-occupational income differences explain 12-17 percent of the total income disparity among urban employees. This inter-occupational income disparity is mainly caused by the fact that, first, different occupations have varying human capital requirements, leading to different labor remuneration, and second, labor market and regional segmentation impede the free flow of labor across different occupations. The first factor highlights the role of human capital, and should be seen as a positive effect of market-oriented reform, while the second reflects the incompleteness of this reform at the present stage. Therefore, to narrow unreasonable inter- occupational income gaps, we need to intensify reform and do our best to remove barriers hindering free mobility between occupations.

Social Capital,Financial Literacy and Lending Behaviour of Farmers with Different Incomes--Evidence Based on CHFS 2015 Data

Using microdata from the China Household Financial Survey Project(CHFS 2015),a negative binomial model is used to study the impact of social capital and financial literacy on the lending behavior of farmers with different incomes.The study found that the positive impact of social capital on the formal borrowing behavior of low-and middle-income farmers was significant,while the impact on informal borrowing behavior and both types of borrowing behavior of highincome farmers were not significant.Financial literacy has a significant positive effect on formal lending behavior only for high-income farmers.Financial literacy has a significant positive effect on formal lending behavior only for high-income farmers.

The Human Capital Return and Social Integration of Migrants in China

From the perspective of migrants ＇self-selection and skill transferability theories, this paper compares human capital return rates of different migrant groups in urban China and discuss the possibility of economic status identified by migrants as local labors. Results suggest that positive self-selection works for all types of migrant labors. Migrant workers with non-agricultural household registration or feinong hukou have no trouble to be integrated into the labor market of destination. They even have higher income and human capital return rates than local urban workers. Newly-arrived migrant peasants earn less than local labors. However, after a certain period, the skilled migrant workers catch up with local labors and are economically integrated into the local labor market while the low-skilled migrant group still earns less. Therefore the integration of migrant labors in urban labor market is yet a kind of segregated integration.

Heavy Metal Concentrations in Rice from Guangzhou and Associated Health Risks

In recent years, excessive levels of cadmium（Cd） in rice have been a focus of attention of the government, the public and scientists. In Guangzhou rice is a staple food for most citizens and understanding the level of Cd and other heavy metals in rice is important for food safety and health. Consumers in different income groups purchase rice from various sources at different prices but we know little about the relationship between price and safety. At the same time, the presence of zinc（Zn） can also affect the level of risk from Cd in rice and so affect food safety. This study offers a preliminary exploration of interactions between price, safety and nutritional quality. 125 rice samples were collected from markets and from the homes of high-income, middle-income and low-income groups in Guangzhou city, and were tested for the content of Cd and Zn. The results showed that 25.6% of the rice samples contained Cd in excess of the national standard, with higher levels of Cd in Indica rice than in Japonica. At the same time, we designed a questionnaire survey for groups with different incomes to assess their exposure to risks from rice with Cd and their perceptions and sources of information about risks. The survey showed that, as a whole, the low-income group faces higher risks from rice with Cd, and that there is strong public demand for scientific information about Cd in rice.