Social assistance and non-agriculture employment in rural China: evidence from the Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao)
Abstract The Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao) is a crucial social assistance program designed to alleviate poverty in rural China. While non-agriculture employment plays a significant role in boosting farmers’ income and reducing long-term poverty, little is known about the impact of Rura...
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Springer Nature
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04443-5 |
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| author | Dian Chen Xiangming Fang |
| author_facet | Dian Chen Xiangming Fang |
| author_sort | Dian Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao) is a crucial social assistance program designed to alleviate poverty in rural China. While non-agriculture employment plays a significant role in boosting farmers’ income and reducing long-term poverty, little is known about the impact of Rural Dibao on non-agriculture employment. This study uses data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) and employs Propensity Score Matching with Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) methods to assess the effects of Rural Dibao on non-agriculture employment and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Our findings reveal that Rural Dibao significantly increases the likelihood of recipients’ participation in non-agriculture employment and extends their labor supply in such jobs. The program primarily boosts temporary work rather than formal employment or self-employment. The increase in temporary employment primarily originated from transitions from agriculture work, rather than from previously unemployed individuals. Mechanism analysis suggests that government-provided employment information and recommendations serve as key drivers for increasing temporary employment, while cash transfers and job-seeking cash subsidies alone do not effectively promote non-agricultural employment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ba5cbf6d36784fae9af2516ac64635b0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-ba5cbf6d36784fae9af2516ac64635b02025-02-02T12:13:16ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-02-0112111110.1057/s41599-025-04443-5Social assistance and non-agriculture employment in rural China: evidence from the Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao)Dian Chen0Xiangming Fang1School of Economics, Guizhou UniversityAcademy of Global Food Economics and Policy, China Agricultural UniversityAbstract The Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao) is a crucial social assistance program designed to alleviate poverty in rural China. While non-agriculture employment plays a significant role in boosting farmers’ income and reducing long-term poverty, little is known about the impact of Rural Dibao on non-agriculture employment. This study uses data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) and employs Propensity Score Matching with Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) methods to assess the effects of Rural Dibao on non-agriculture employment and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Our findings reveal that Rural Dibao significantly increases the likelihood of recipients’ participation in non-agriculture employment and extends their labor supply in such jobs. The program primarily boosts temporary work rather than formal employment or self-employment. The increase in temporary employment primarily originated from transitions from agriculture work, rather than from previously unemployed individuals. Mechanism analysis suggests that government-provided employment information and recommendations serve as key drivers for increasing temporary employment, while cash transfers and job-seeking cash subsidies alone do not effectively promote non-agricultural employment.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04443-5 |
| spellingShingle | Dian Chen Xiangming Fang Social assistance and non-agriculture employment in rural China: evidence from the Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao) Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | Social assistance and non-agriculture employment in rural China: evidence from the Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao) |
| title_full | Social assistance and non-agriculture employment in rural China: evidence from the Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao) |
| title_fullStr | Social assistance and non-agriculture employment in rural China: evidence from the Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social assistance and non-agriculture employment in rural China: evidence from the Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao) |
| title_short | Social assistance and non-agriculture employment in rural China: evidence from the Rural Minimum Living Security (Rural Dibao) |
| title_sort | social assistance and non agriculture employment in rural china evidence from the rural minimum living security rural dibao |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04443-5 |
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