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ID: 168355

Health outcomes, health inequality and Mandarin proficiency in urban China / Wang, Haining

Wang, Haining	Journal Article
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Summary/Abstract

We examine the health returns to proficiency in Mandarin in urban China using longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies. We find that greater proficiency in Mandarin improves self-reported health, mental health and capacity to perform activities of daily living. We also examine the relationship between Mandarin proficiency and health inequality and the decomposition results show that differences in Mandarin proficiency account for between 2% and 20% of health inequality in urban China, depending on the health indicator. Our results suggest that promoting ‘standard Mandarin’ can serve as a vehicle to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequality.

Key Words

China ; Human Capital ; Health Inequality ; Mandarin Proficiency ; Health Outcome

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ID: 147619

Language and consumption / Wang, Haining; Cheng, Zhiming ; Smyth, Russell

Smyth, Russell	Journal Article
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Summary/Abstract

We examine the relationship between proficiency in Mandarin and consumption in China. We find that proficiency in Mandarin has a positive effect on an individual's total consumption expenditure as well as most categories of consumption expenditure. We also find considerable heterogeneity in the effects of Mandarin proficiency on consumption across subsamples. In addition, we find that proficiency in Mandarin has a positive effect on relative consumption, irrespective of the manner in which the reference group is defined. Our results have important policy implications for debates on the promotion of a national language and, in particular, recent debate about the promotion of speaking Mandarin in China.

Key Words

China ; Human Capital ; Consumption ; Mandarin Proficiency

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