Stanford University

Demography

Older Tibetan woman sits in her living room in China.

Demography

Analyzing demographic policies and challenges in China.

Overview

In effect for almost 40 years (1979-2015), China’s “One-Child Policy” comprised the world’s most far reaching and stringent attempt at population control. Now, in the face of serious demographic challenges – including an aging population, a stubbornly low fertility rate, and a heavily skewed sex ratio – China’s government has relaxed the policy to two children and is tentatively moving to end all birth restrictions. Yet the true social and economic consequences of China’s population policies remain unclear. There are also increasing concerns about a shrinking workforce, difficulty caring for an elderly population, a surplus of unmarried men, the wellbeing of only children, and the tragic legacy of as many as 30 million “missing girls” through sex-selective abortion, neglect, and abandonment. These demographic issues will be among the most important long-term challenges for China. 

Publications
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Journal Articles

The Motherhood Penalty in China: Magnitudes, Trends, and the Role of Grandparenting

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Journal of Comparative Economics,
Policy Briefs

Tracking China's Economic Path

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Journal Articles

Cognitive Ability and Academic Performance Among Left-Behind Children: Evidence from Rural China

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Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education,
Books

Invisible China: How the Urban-Rural Divide Threatens China’s Rise

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University of Chicago Press,
Journal Articles

Impact of Spectacles Wear on Uncorrected Visual Acuity among Urban Migrant Primary School Children in China: A Cluster-Randomised Clinical Trial

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British Journal of Opthalmology,
Journal Articles

School Quality and Peer Effects: Explaining Differences in Academic Performance between China’s Migrant and Rural Students

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The Journal of Development Studies,
Journal Articles

Wage Differential between Rural Migrants and Urban Workers in the People's Republic of China

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Asian Development Review,
Journal Articles

Parental Migration and Early Childhood Development in Rural China

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Demography,
Journal Articles

Impact of Second-Parent Migration on Student Academic Performance in Northwest China and its Implications

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The Journal of Development Studies,
Journal Articles

Academic Achievement and Mental Health of Left-behind Children in Rural China

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China Agricultural Economic Review,
Journal Articles

Land Reform and Sex Selection in China

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Journal of Political Economy,
Journal Articles

Parental Migration, Educational Achievement, and Mental Health of Junior High School Students in Rural China

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China Economic Review,
Journal Articles

Understanding the Situation of China’s Left‐Behind Children: A Mixed‐Methods analysis

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The Developing Economies,
Journal Articles

Parental Migration and Left-Behind Children's Depressive Symptoms: Estimation Based on a Nationally-Representative Panel Dataset

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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,
Journal Articles

Fertility, Household Structure, and Parental Labor Supply: Evidence from China

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Journal of Comparative Economics,
Journal Articles

Human Capital and China’s Future Growth

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Journal of Economic Perspectives,
Journal Articles

Skill Complementarities and Returns to Higher Education: Evidence from College Enrollment Expansion in China

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China Economic Review,
Journal Articles

The Education Gap of China's Migrant Children and Rural Counterparts

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Journal of Development Studies,
Journal Articles

Effect of Parental Migration on the Academic Performance of Left-behind Middle School Students in Rural China

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China and World Economy,
Working Papers

The Effect of Maternal Migration on Early Childhood Development in Rural China

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Working Paper,
Journal Articles

The New Rural Social Pension Program in Rural China: Participation and its Correlates

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China Agricultural Economic Review,
Journal Articles

The Retirement Consumption Puzzle Revisited: Evidence from the Mandatory Retirement Policy in China

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Journal of Comparative Economics,
Journal Articles

Gender and Off-farm Employment: Evidence from Rural China

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China and World Economy,
Journal Articles

Adult child migration and elderly parental health in rural China

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China Economic Agricultural Review,
Journal Articles

Effects of Parental Migration on Mental Health of Left-Behind Children: Evidence from Northwestern China

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China & World Economy,