Search

Using the China Family Panel Studies, we identify the subjects studied by vocational college and university graduates, with the latter group further divided into ordinary and key universities. While the returns are around 8-10% to attending colleges and ordinary universities, there are higher returns of 12-16% per annum to attending the more prestigious key universities. The recent massive expansion of the higher education sector resulted in reduced returns to all HE types, except for graduates who studied subjects other than LEM (law, economics, and management) or STEM (sciences, technology, engineering and math/medicine) at key universities. We further account for selection on observables into subjects and tiers using the doubly robust Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Adjustment method (IPWRA) approach. While these results are tentative, they suggest that pooled OLS and random-effect models substantially underestimate the effect of attending universities that are more prestigious for graduates of both genders in LEM.

We investigate the impact of China’s outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on the export sophistication of countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Through an examination of data spanning from 2010 to 2015, our findings reveal that China’s OFDI significantly enhances export sophistication in host countries, with a more pronounced effect observed in relatively poor BRI nations. However, the positive correlation between China’s OFDI and export sophistication diminishes in host countries characterized by elevated productivity levels. Utilizing a structural equation model, we identify host country productivity as a crucial mediating factor. The indirect technology spillover effects of China’s OFDI, facilitated through increased productivity, account for approximately 39% of their overall impact on export sophistication. Furthermore, we delineate threshold effects of productivity for China’s OFDI, demonstrating substantial positive effects in host countries with a GDP per capita below the first threshold (approximately US$1,141) or within the range of the first and second thresholds (around US$7,115). Upon consideration of these thresholds, distinctions in the effects of China’s OFDI between BRI and non-BRI host countries diminish. Our analysis underscores that the favorable influence of China’s OFDI extends beyond the BRI, providing benefits to low and middle-income countries globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between star power, artistic excellence, and the commercial success of Chinese movies from 2009 to 2018 based on a two‐path structural model. Artistic excellence was measured based on industry recognition; more specifically, the winners of seven major movie awards in the greater China region, which reflect the critical and popular evaluations of reviewers and consumers. The commercial success was measured by box office performance and the level of buzz among the audience. While the paths of artistic excellence and commercial movie success are essentially separable, as well as conceptually and empirically distinct, movie star power may influence both. Our findings indicate that star power had negative signal effects on critical and popular evaluation as well as industry recognition, but positive marketing effects on critical and popular buzz as well as box office performance. Indeed, star power has indirect positive effects that can outweigh its negative effects. Thus, star power is the key to success in these two seemingly unrelated paths in China. Moreover, these findings have several implications for international investors, producers, actors, and directors who are participating in the Chinese motion picture industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from Chinese publicly listed companies (PLCs) over the 2010–2017 period, this paper examines the impact of cultural heterogeneity within the top management team (TMT) on the post-acquisition performance of cross-border acquisitions (CBAs). TMT cultural heterogeneity is measured as the cultural distance between the board chairperson and chief executive officer (CEO), based on the south-rice-north-wheat cultural dichotomy in traditional China in 1916. Overall, we find that TMT cultural heterogeneity can increase the likelihood of CBAs. However, it also has a significantly negative impact on both the market performance and profitability of privately-owned Chinese PLCs after the CBAs. To provide a comprehensive analysis, we also explore the moderating effects of state ownership and high-tech industries. The results reveal that TMT cultural heterogeneity can actually improve the market performance of CBAs conducted by state-owned PLCs, and it can enhance the profitability performance of CBAs within the high-tech industry. Our analysis highlights the significance of TMT cultural heterogeneity during the post-acquisition integration process following CBAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Chinese central government launched the third phase of health system reforms in 2009. After a decade since the initiation of the reform, the health system has witnessed noteworthy gains. However, there is no concurrent improvement in public satisfaction with the health system. This study analysed various factors that influence public satisfaction with the system and examined whether perceived quality of care affects public satisfaction. Methods: A longitudinal nationally representative survey was used for this study. We used five waves of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) survey data. The final sample consisted of 145 843 observations. A two-way fixed-effects ordered logistic model was used for the analysis. Results: The results indicate that perceived good quality of care was positively associated with public satisfaction in health system regardless of rural–urban residence. Older adults and individuals with more than 3 years of college education were less likely to be satisfied with the system in rural areas. Personal income and the density of medical professionals in the geographic area tend to improve public satisfaction in rural areas. Having medical insurance coverage and fair or good self-rated health improved the probability of reporting public satisfaction in urban areas. Married people and individuals who lived in the West region were less likely to be satisfied with the health system in urban areas. Conclusions: Knowledge and skills of healthcare providers or physical quality of facilities are not sufficient in improving public satisfaction in the health system. Policymakers need to identify options to influence the important factors that affect public perception of the system. This analysis identified several policy-amenable factors to improve public perception of the health system in rural and urban China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective of this study was to identify factors associated with medical care delay or avoidance among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the 2020 China Family Panel Study (CFPS). The CFPS was conducted from July to December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final sample included 4369 adults. A logistic regression model was employed to identify the factors associated with medical care delay or avoidance.Results: The empirical results indicate that regardless of rural-urban residence, older adults and adults with chronic conditions were less likely to delay or avoid medical care during the pandemic. However, individuals who had completed more than three years of college showed a higher likelihood of delaying or avoiding medical care. In urban areas, larger family sizes, greater general trust in physicians, and higher provider structural quality were associated with a decreased probability of delaying or avoiding medical care during the pandemic. In contrast, employed adults were more likely to delay or avoid medical care. In rural areas, current smokers were more likely to delay or avoid medical care during the pandemic.Conclusion: This study has identified several factors affecting medical care delay or avoidance, some of which are amenable to policy changes. Policymakers can help improve the utilization of health facilities and patient health outcomes by implementing a series of reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the relationship between cultural distance, classroom silence, and the performance of culturally responsive and inclusive education (CRIE) using a survey of 1051 college students in Shanghai in 2022. We found a significantly positive association between migrant students' cultural distance and their perceived learning gains in class. Students' cultural distance increased their classroom silence as a form of protection but had no significant effect on their classroom silence as a sign of power. The classroom silence as protection decreased students' perceived learning gains. However, classroom silence as power could be used by both local and migrant students as a hold-up strategy to strengthen their influence in class discussions, which could improve their perceived learning gains. Teachers' CRIE played the most important role in migrant students' perceived learning gains, while the effectiveness of CRIE was also actually dependent on the different channels and mechanisms of cultural distance and classroom silence. A cautious identification of classroom silence will improve the effectiveness of CRIE. Suggestions are offered to lighten the practice of educators, administrators, and instructors who face classroom silence from subnational migrant students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using survey data from China (1989–2015), we investigate the impact of the number of siblings and treated water on educational attainment of children and its effect on their earnings when they join the labor force. Instrumental variables (IV) estimation shows that increase in the number of male siblings can increase the educational attainment of females. However, the effect of an increase in the number of female siblings on educational attainment of either males or females is statistically insignificant. Access to treated water during the childhood period (0–16 years) has a positive effect on educational attainment of boys. The estimated returns to education for females (6.6%) are higher than males (5.3%). The low fertility rate in China since the introduction of one-child policy led to fewer brothers, which contributed to a decrease in educational attainment of females. Improved public facilities (e.g., availability of treated water in rural areas) can increase the educational attainment of boys and thus reduce the gender earnings gap. With higher returns to education, extension of the compulsory education to senior secondary stage and loosening of the one-child policy is likely to yield relatively higher benefits to females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic policy reform that started in China in early 1980s also affected its movie industry. Like other sectors, movie industry is also not fully liberalized. The industry is required to ensure that movie contents are consistent with core socialist and cultural values and locally produced movies are also financially viable. However, cultural and politically motivated regulation can adversely affect box-office revenues. Using a recently available dataset, which covers the period of 2009–2018, we investigate the box-office performance of Chinese domestic movies. We start by examining the role of movie quality signals (such as star power, internet media evaluation and industry recognition) in our empirical analysis of the relationship between family-friendly content of movies and box-office revenues. We then match the movie contents with its financial performance records. Our novel approach reveals that the explicit sex and profanity in movies have a negative and statistically significant impact on box-office revenues, which confirms the role of cultural values in financial success of motion pictures in China. However, in the case of large-budget movies involving celebrity superstars, the violent and gore (graphic violence) content attracts viewers and hence the box-office revenue increases. Our work highlights the contradictory nature of China's movie industry policy, which binds the industry to strict cultural and politically motivated regulation while insisting on financial success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data over the 2009–2016 period, this paper examines the impact of star power on box office revenues in China. Unlike most existing studies, we measure star power as a continuous variable based on the number of registered fans of movie stars on the most popular microblogging website in China (Sina Weibo). We also examine the impact of star power on box office revenues through three important channels (industry recognition, internet media evaluation, and internet media buzz). Estimation of log-linear specifications shows that directors play an important role in the financial success of movies in China. The direct effect of star power on the financial success of movies is negative, and the same applies to the direct effect of internet media evaluation. The indirect quality effect of star power through industry recognition is positive but insignificant. The marginal effect of industry recognition becomes significantly positive only when the level of star power reaches the second quartile of its distribution. The indirect signal effect of star power through internet media evaluation is negative and statistically significant. However, the indirect signal effect through internet media buzz is positive and significant at all levels of star power and this effect dominates the negative direct effect of star power once it reaches a threshold level. Endogeneity-corrected estimation results confirm that the total effect of star power on box office revenues in China is positive and significant. The Chinese movie industry, which appears to be dominated by low-quality movies, can benefit from further reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the role that institutional shareholders play in acquisition decisions using micro data in the Chinese stock market during 2003-2008. Design/methodology/approach – Acquisition decision is the selection and coordination process of shareholders as strategic alliances, which is determined by corporate acquisition ability, composition of institutional shareholders and concentration of tradable share (TS) in China. The paper uses the Heckman selection model to surmount the selection biases in acquisition decision. Findings – The paper finds that institutional shareholders, including qualified foreign institutional investors (QFII), social security funds (SSF), security firms (SF) and security investment funds (SIF), as well as TS concentration, affect acquisition probability rather than annual acquisition scale. SSF, SIF and TS concentration can increase acquisition probability while QFII decreases it. Research limitations/implications – This paper suggests a strategic alliance model in which institutional shareholders choose whether to collaborate with controlling shareholders and management. However, detailed information of the selection and coordination process is unavailable in the authors' data. Future research need provide more evidence of this postulate. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the published literature in three ways. First, it offers a model to understand the selection and coordination process of acquisition decision. Second, it investigates whether institutional shareholders could effectively monitor annual acquisition scale. Third, it identifies the Heckman selection problem that institutional shareholders could affect PLCs' acquisition decision on whether to acquire rather than how much to acquire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article estimates the economic returns to education in China from 1989 to 2009 using the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) dataset. We find that education returns for one additional year generally increase from 2.6% in 1989 to 7.9% in 2009. Education returns, however, may reflect signals of innate ability or the accumulation of human capital. Moreover, traditional ordinary least square estimates may be biased by selection problems and mix-ups of age group heterogeneity. We therefore estimate the marginal effects of schooling with increasing labour market experience using the Heckman selection model. We find that the education returns for one additional year decline with labour market experience, which supports the human capital hypothesis for all age groups except the group educated during the Cultural Revolution. Different dynamics of education returns in the four age groups are identified with the large influence of institutional reforms in the labour market, supporting the transition explanation of the evolution of education returns in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our objective was to study the phenotype of and molecular genetic mechanisms underlying congenital protein C (PC) deficiency in Chinese neonates. We report the case of a neonate who presented 4 h after birth with purpura fulminans of the skin and thrombosis in the kidney. We also carried out a through literature review to study the genotype and phenotype, relevance, diagnosis, management, and prognosis of neonates with congenital PC deficiency in China. Case presentation and literature review: Following a septic work-up and check of PC and protein S (PS) levels that showed PC deficiency, we investigated the patient's and her parents' genotypes. Our patient was found to have a plasma PC level of 0.8%. Molecular testing revealed a compound heterozygous mutation of the PROC gene: From the father, a c._262 G > T p. ASP88Tyr mutation in exon 4; from the mother, a C. 400 + 5G mutation in intron 5 that had been previously reported as likely pathogenic. Both parents were found to have heterozygous mutations for PC deficiency. In China, 5 other cases of congenital PC deficiency in the neonatal period were reported in the literature. In those cases, purpura fulminans and thrombosis were the main symptoms, and homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations of the PROC gene were identified. Conclusion: Congenital PC deficiency should be ruled out for neonates presenting with purpura fulminans and thrombosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the impact of climate change at regional scales is of importance for adaption purposes. In this study, a regional climate model PRECIS is for the first time run for East China on a spatial resolution of 25 km using two global climate models (GCMs) ECHAM5 and HadCM3 as boundary data under A1B emission scenario. The baseline period is 1961-1990. An upgraded quantile mapping method is used to correct the bias of PRECIS outputs for providing reliable future climate change projections (2011-2040). The regional climate model is then coupled with a mesoscale distributed hydrology soil vegetation model (DHSVM), to investigate the impact of climate change on future water resources in the Jinhua River Basin, East China. The hydrological model is calibrated and validated on a daily basis and show reasonable performance. The results show that under both GCMs, statistically, no significant changes in future annual runoff are projected. However, large changes in seasonal and monthly runoff are projected. ECHAM5 projects large decreases in summer () and autumn () and slight increases in spring and winter whereas HadCM3 projects large decreases in autumn () and large increases in spring (28.7%) and winter (60%). The seasonal changes in precipitation in this region are the main driving force for the changes in future runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate trends in regional cost competitiveness in China's four regions (Coastal, Northeast, Interior and West) over the past thirty-five years. We find that the Coastal region lost its initial cost competitiveness as its higher relative labour productivity (RLP) was offset by rapidly rising relative nominal labour costs (RNLC) due to rising wages. The Northeastern region still has cost advantages in the traditional Manufacturing sector. The Interior and West regions improved their competitiveness in most industries due to low RNLCs. There is convergence of relative unit labour cost (RULC) in all industries before 1995, but only in Finance after 1995. However there is convergence in RLP in five industries in 1978–95 and 1995–2009, offering prospects for robust growth for China into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: The high co-occurrence of tobacco smoking and depression is a major public health concern during the novel coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic. However, no studies have dealt with missing values when assessing depression. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effect of tobacco smoking on depressive symptoms using a multiple imputation technique., Methods: This research was a longitudinal study using data from four waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study conducted between 2011 and 2018, and the final sample consisted of 74,381 observations across all four waves of data collection. The present study employed a multiple imputation technique to deal with missing values, and a fixed effects logistic regression model was used for the analysis., Results: The results of fixed effects logistic regression showed that heavy smokers had 20% higher odds of suffering from depressive symptoms than those who never smoked. Compared to those who never smoked, for short-term and moderate-term quitters, the odds of suffering from depressive symptoms increased by 30% and 22%, respectively. The magnitudes of the odds ratios for of the variables short-term quitters, moderate-term quitters, and long-term quitters decreased in absolute terms with increasing time-gaps since quitting. The sub-group analysis for men and women found that heavy male smokers, short-term and moderate-term male quitters had higher odds of suffering from depressive symptoms than those who never smoked. However, associations between smoking status and depressive symptoms were not significant for women., Conclusions: The empirical findings suggested that among Chinese middle-aged and older adults, heavy smokers and short-term and moderate-term quitters have increased odds of suffering from depressive symptoms than those who never smoked. Moreover, former smokers reported that the probability of having depressive symptoms decreased with a longer duration since quitting. Nevertheless, the association between depressive symptoms and smoking among Chinese middle-aged and older adults is not straightforward and may vary according to gender. These results may have important implications that support the government in allocating more resources to smoking cessation programs to help middle-aged and older smokers, particularly in men., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Du, Wu, Kang, Zhao and Li.)

The effect of emotion on memory often leads to the trade-off: enhanced memory for emotional items comes at the cost of memory for background information. Although this effect is usually attributed to overt attention during encoding, Steinmetz and Kensinger (2013) proposed that such an effect might also be related to post-stimulus elaboration. Based on previous different viewpoints, we used the directed forgetting paradigm to further explore the effect of post-stimulus elaboration on the memory trade-off. In the meantime, we also tested the roles of background valence and item salience (high salient items were placed in the centre of backgrounds while low salient items were placed in the periphery of backgrounds) in modulating the memory trade-off. Our results showed that there was a memory trade-off when backgrounds were neutral, whereas this was no longer the case when backgrounds were negative. This indicated the memory trade-off might be affected by background valence. Meanwhile, we found post-stimulus elaboration contributed to selective memory enhancement for backgrounds, while item salience enhanced item memory performance in the memory trade-off. These findings suggest the emotion-induced memory trade-off may be a complex memory effect, which can be influenced by different factors to varying degrees.

Mastocytosis is an accumulation of clonal mast cells within tissues and it is most commonly caused by an activating mutation in the KIT gene. In this study, we report a neonatal case who presented with diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis (CM) at birth. In China, nine other cases of neonatal-onset CM have been reported in the literature since 2006. In those cases, diffuse CM and urticaria pigmentosa were the main symptoms, and mutations in exon 17 at codon 816 in KIT were identified.

Objective: To assess the rural-urban disparity in caesarean section rates using electronic health records from hospitals located in the Province of Inner Mongolia, which is a minority area in Northeastern China., Methods: The study examined the electronic health records of women that gave birth in three major public hospitals between January 2012 and December 2016. Multinomial regression analyses were used to estimate rural-urban disparities in caesarean section rates., Results: Data from 61 903 women were examined. Caesarean section rates increased slightly over the study period and the rate was significantly higher in rural compared with urban hospitals (48% versus 38%). This disparity consistently increased over time. Multinomial regression analyses showed that maternal age, ethnicity, health insurance type, employment status, reproductive history and the newborn's sex were significant risk factors associated with caesarean section rate. Furthermore, stratified analysis of first-time pregnancies, minorities and different age groups showed that the odds of undergoing an emergency caesarean section was lower in the rural hospital, but the odds of undergoing a planned caesarean section was higher in the rural hospital., Conclusions: Caesarean section rates have increased in rural areas and the disparity in rural-urban areas has increased substantially over the years.