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

Journal Articles

Impact of Childcare and Eldercare on Off-farm Activities in Rural China

China & World Economy , 2015

Journal Articles

Teaching the Language of Wider Communication, Minority Students, and Overall Educational Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Qinghai Province, China

Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2015

Journal Articles

Prevalence and Causes of Visual Impairment and Rate of Wearing Spectacles in Schools for Children of Migrant Workers in Shanghai, China

BMC Public Health, 2014

Journal Articles

All Research Initiatives

Demography

Overview

Impact of Childcare and Eldercare on Off-farm Activities in Rural China

Teaching the Language of Wider Communication, Minority Students, and Overall Educational Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Qinghai Province, China

The Retirement Consumption Puzzle in China

Girl Adoption in China: A Less-Known Side of Son Preference

Unequal Access to College in China: How Far Have Poor, Rural Students Been Left Behind?

Factors Underlying Different Myopia Prevalence between Middle- and Low-income Provinces in China

The Han-Minority Achievement Gap, Language and Returns to Schools in Rural China

Response to the Commentary 'Reassessing Disparity in Access to Higher Education in Contemporary China'

Prevalence and Causes of Visual Impairment and Rate of Wearing Spectacles in Schools for Children of Migrant Workers in Shanghai, China

Effect of Migration on Children's Educational Performance in Rural China

Road Expansion and Off-Farm Work in Rural China

The Education of China's Migrant Children: The Missing Link in China's Education System

China’s Labor Transition and the Future of China’s Rural Wages and Employment

The Roots of Tomorrow’s Digital Divide: Documenting Computer Use and Internet Access in China’s Elementary Schools Today

Sex Ratios and Crime: Evidence from China

Poverty in China's Colleges and the Targeting of Financial Aid

Will Demographic Change Slow China's Rise?

Impact of the Global Financial Crises in Rural China: Gender, Off-Farm Employment, and Wages

Can One-to-One Computing Narrow the Digital Divide and the Educational Gap in China? The Case of Beijing Migrant Schools

Prenatal Sex Selection and Missing Girls in China: Evidence from the Diffusion of Diagnostic Ultrasound

Persistent Poverty in Rural China: Where, Why, and How to Escape?

Does Attending Elite Colleges Pay in China?