Why aren't rural children completing compulsory education? A survey-based study in China, 2003 to 2011

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-255
Author(s):  
Xiaoyun Liu ◽  
Scott Rozelle
Keyword(s):  
Junior High School ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Years Of Schooling

PurposeAlthough China has instituted compulsory education through Grade 9, it is still unclear whether students are, in fact, staying in school. In this paper, the authors use a multi-year (2003–2011) longitudinal survey data set on rural households in 102–130 villages across 30 provinces in China to examine the extent to which students still drop out of school prior to finishing compulsory education.Design/methodology/approachTo examine the correlates of dropping out, the study uses ordinary least squares and multivariate probit models.FindingsDropout rate from junior high school was still high (14%) in 2011, even though it fell across the study period. There was heterogeneity in the measured dropout rate. There was great variation among different regions, and especially among different villages. In all, 10% of the sample villages showed extremely high rates during the study period and actually rose over time. Household characteristics associated with poverty and the opportunity cost of staying in school were significantly and negatively correlated with the completion of nine years of schooling.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study suggest that China needs to take additional steps to overcome the barriers keeping children from completing nine years of schooling if they hope to either achieve their goal of having all children complete nine years of school or extend compulsory schooling to the end of twelfth grade.Originality/valueThe authors seek to measure the prevalence of both compulsory education rates of dropouts and rates of completion in China. The study examines the correlates of dropping out at the lower secondary schooling level as a way of understanding what types of students (from what types of villages) are not complying with national schooling regulations. To overcome the methodological shortcomings of previous research on dropout in China, the study uses a nationally representative, longitudinal data set based on household surveys collected between 2003 and 2011.

The impact of investment on drinking water quality in rural China

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-269
Author(s):  
Ai Yue ◽  
Yaojiang Shi ◽  
Renfu Luo ◽  
Linxiu Zhang ◽  
Natalie Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Representative Data ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Although access to safe drinking water is one of the most important health-related infrastructure programs in the world, drinking water remains a large problem in China today, especially in rural areas. Despite increased government investment in water resource protection and management, there is still an absence of academic studies that are able to document what path the investment has taken and whether it has had any tangible impact. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of drinking water investment on drinking water in China. Design/methodology/approach The authors make use of nationally representative data from 2005 and 2012 to measure the impact of drinking water investment among 2,028 rural households in 101 villages across five provinces. Both ordinary least squares regression and probit regression are used to analyze the correlates and the impact of drinking water investment. Findings The authors demonstrate that water quality was likely a significant problem in 2004 but that China’s investment into drinking water appears to have resulted in initial improvements during the study period. The authors show that the most significant change came about in terms of hardware: villages that received more drinking water investment now have more piped tap water and more access to water treatment infrastructure (disinfecting and filtering facilities). High rates of rural resident satisfaction with drinking water suggest the effects of drinking water investment are being felt at the village level. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study on drinking water investment over time in rural China using nationally representative data.

Rural education across China’s 40 years of reform: past successes and future challenges

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ai Yue ◽  
Bin Tang ◽  
Yaojiang Shi ◽  
Jingjing Tang ◽  
Guanminjia Shang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Rural Education ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Rural Children ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rural Schooling ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the policy and trends in rural education in China over the past 40 years; and also discuss a number of challenges that are faced by China’s rural school system. Design/methodology/approach The authors use secondary data on policies and trends over the past 40 years for preschool, primary/junior high school, and high school. Findings The trends over the past 40 years in all areas of rural schooling have been continually upward and strong. While only a low share of rural children attended preschool in the 1980s, by 2014 more than 90 percent of rural children were attending. The biggest achievement in compulsory education is that the rise in the number of primary students that finish grade 6 and matriculate to junior high school. There also was a steep rise of those going to and completing high school. While the successes in upscaling rural education are absolutely unprecedented, there are still challenges. Research limitations/implications This is descriptive analysis and there is not causal link established between policies and rural schooling outcomes. Practical implications The authors illustrate one of the most rapid rises of rural education in history and match the achievements up with the policy efforts of the government. The authors also explore policy priorities that will be needed in the coming years to raise the quality of schooling. Originality/value This is the first paper that documents both the policies and the empirical trends of the success that China has created in building rural education from preschool to high school during the first 40 years of reform (1978-2018). The paper also documents – drawing on the literature and the own research – the achievements and challenges that China still face in the coming years, including issues of gender, urbanization, early childhood education and health and nutrition of students.

Performance of agricultural cooperative banks in Japan

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-50
Author(s):  
Kozo Harimaya ◽  
Koichi Kagitani
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Agricultural Cooperatives ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Business Services ◽  
Lower Efficiency ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Banking Business ◽  
Insurance Business

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficiency of the banking business of Japan’s agricultural cooperatives (JAs), which depend heavily on financial business with non-farmers, contradictory to cooperative principles. Design/methodology/approach The authors construct a panel data set over 2005–2016 from the financial statements of JAs’ prefectural-level federations and use the input distance stochastic frontier model with a time-variant inefficiency effect for analysis. Both the flow and stock measures of the banking output are used in identical models and the efficiency results are compared. The authors also investigate the determinants of efficiency by using the Tobit and ordinary least squares regression models. Findings There is strong evidence of significant prefectural differences in efficiency values. The ratio of lending to non-members to total loans is positively related to efficiency. In contrast, the higher reliance on a central organization and credit business leads to lower efficiency. Research limitations/implications Apart from banking, JAs provide mutual insurance business services. As the authors investigate only the efficiency of JAs’ banking business in this study, it would be necessary to investigate the efficiency of their insurance business as well when evaluating JAs’ overall financial business. Originality/value There are few studies that investigate the efficiency of JAs’ banking business and its determinants, although significant attention has been paid to their excessive dependence on the financial business.

scholarly journals Tourism and social media in the world: an empirical investigation

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1319-1331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simplice Asongu ◽  
Nicholas M. Odhiambo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Outcomes ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between tourism and social media from a cross section of 138 countries with data for the year 2012. Design/methodology/approach The empirical evidence is based on Ordinary Least Squares, Negative Binomial and Quantile Regressions. Findings Two main findings are established. First, there is a positive relationship between Facebook penetration and the number of tourist arrivals. Second, Facebook penetration is more relevant in promoting tourist arrivals in countries where initial levels in tourist arrivals are the highest and low. The established positive relationship can be elucidated from four principal angles: the transformation of travel research, the rise in social sharing, improvements in customer service and the reshaping of travel agencies. Originality/value This study explores a new data set on social media. There are very few empirical studies on the relevance of social media in development outcomes.

scholarly journals Factors Related to Students’ Drop Out of a Distance Language Learning Programme

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Rahmat Budiman
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Unmet Expectations ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The University ◽  
Purposive Sample

This paper presents a study that examined the reasons for dropping out of a distance language learning programmeoffered by an open university in Indonesia. A purposive sample of students who registered for online English writingcourses at the university was used. To gain a better understanding of the issues, the study also sought informationfrom online tutors. A longitudinal research design employing qualitative research method was used over four stagesof data collection. Open-ended question surveys were adopted to gain an understanding of underlying reasons forpersisting or discontinuing their studies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at each stage to obtain deeperinformation from the students and the online tutors. The data was analysed with NVivo version 10. The findings ofthe open-ended question surveys and the interviews indicated that the major reasons that led the students to drop outwere lack of basic skills in English, unmet expectations, feelings of isolation, and the inability to balance work,family, and study responsibilities. The study offers a theoretical framework to describe the factors related to studentdropout from a distance language learning programme. This study also offers models of interaction, teaching andlearning in distance language learning to minimise the dropout rate.

Unmasking the factors behind income inequalities in Ghana

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 884-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Danquah ◽  
Williams Ohemeng
Keyword(s):  
Junior High School ◽  
Community Level ◽  
The South ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Community Factors ◽  
The North ◽  
Nationally Representative

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to examine the extent and trends of income inequality as well as the contribution of household and community-level factors in explaining inequality within north and south in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The study employs both descriptive and regression methods. The study adopts the methodology by Fields (2002) to assess the importance of household and community attributes in explaining the level of inequality within the north and the south. Findings The findings of the study show that household characteristics such as urban location, no education, public and private formal economic activities, and not covered by National Health Insurance Scheme are major determinants of inequality within the north and the south. Specifically, within the north, the 20-34 year age group is the most prominent contributor to inequality. Within the south, the most important determinant of inequality is the completion of junior high school. The contribution of community-level features shows that, within the north, access to banks is the most vital factor to inequality, whereas within the south, access to electricity and public transport is the most important community factor. Practical implications The study provides an understanding of the underlying household and community factors driving the observed inequality patterns within the north and the south in Ghana. Policy options are identified for achieving the sustainable development goals. Originality/value The study uses the latest round of the Ghana Living Standards survey, GLSS 6, which covers new data on a nationally representative sample of 18,000 households in 1,200 enumeration areas.

Unemployment in Ghana: a cross sectional analysis from demand and supply perspectives

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 402-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Baah-Boateng
Keyword(s):  
Household Survey ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Labour Demand ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Demand And Supply ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Sectional Analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the causes of unemployment in Ghana from both labour demand and supply perspectives based on most recent cross sectional data set from one nationally representative household survey and a baseline survey for Millennium Development Support. Design/methodology/approach – A logit regression estimation technique is applied to two different household survey data sets of 2008 and 2013 to capture the effect of labour demand and supply on unemployment. Findings – Using education and age as capability variables to represent supply factors, unemployment is found to increase with education, and declines with age, confirming higher unemployment rate among the youth, than the old. The paper also observes strong influence of demand factors on unemployment based on relatively higher incidence of unemployment fulltime jobseekers relative to part-time jobseekers and seekers of formal or wage-employment and self-employment or SMEs compared with those seeking any job. Other factors such as the individual’s reservation wage, marital status, sex and poverty status as well as their rural-urban location are also found to cause unemployment in Ghana. Practical implications – Unemployment as a result of the inability of individuals to obtain a job of their choice in the midst of strong economic growth in Ghana suggests weak employment content of growth. In contrast, an increasing phenomenon of unemployment with education also reflects a problem of skill mismatch between skills churn out by education and training institutions and skills requirement by firms in the labour market. Originality/value – The originality of the paper and its contribution to existing literature largely emanate from the inclusion of demand factors in a cross sectional analysis of causes of unemployment.

scholarly journals Overlooked and undervalued: the caring contribution of older people

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 397-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Carmichael ◽  
Marco G. Ercolani
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The People ◽  
Ordered Logistic Regression ◽  
Allocation Of Time ◽  
Nationally Representative

Purpose – Older people are often perceived to be a drain on health care resources. This ignores their caring contribution to the health care sector. The purpose of this paper is to address this imbalance and highlight the role of older people as carers. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses a unique data set supplied by a charity. It covers 1,985 caregivers, their characteristics, type and amount of care provided and the characteristics and needs of those cared-for. Binary and ordered logistic regression is used to examine determinates of the supply of care. Fairlie-Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions are used to disentangle the extent to which differences in the supply of care by age are due to observable endowment effects or coefficient effects. Nationally representative British Household Panel Survey data provide contextualization. Findings – Older caregivers are more intensive carers, caring for longer hours, providing more co-residential and personal care. They are therefore more likely to be in greater need of assistance. The decompositions show that their more intensive caring contribution is partly explained by the largely exogenous characteristics and needs of the people they care for. Research limitations/implications – The data are regional and constrained by the supplier's design. Social implications – Older carers make a significant contribution to health care provision. Their allocation of time to caregiving is not a free choice, it is constrained by the needs of those cared-for. Originality/value – If the burden of care and caring contribution are measured by hours supplied and provision of intimate personal care, then a case is made that older carers experience the greatest burden and contribute the most to the community.

scholarly journals Leaky building stigma

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Shi ◽  
Iona McCarthy ◽  
Uyen Mai
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Survey Respondent ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transaction Data ◽  
Regulatory Standards ◽  
Value Loss

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the stigma effect on property valuation/sale price for remediated residential leaky buildings constructed in New Zealand during the 1990s and 2000s. In particular, the authors want to know whether meeting the regulatory standards for remediation work will totally eliminate the negative stigma effect on remediated properties. Design/methodology/approach Property transaction data for remediated leaky homes are often limited and not well recorded. Thus, it is very difficult or even impossible to identify those remediated properties in a standard property transaction data set. Moreover, a vast amount of information regarding the nature of property defects, remediation process and method is very difficult to obtain. In this study, members of the Property Institute of New Zealand (PINZ) and the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand were invited to participate in an online website survey. The results were then analysed using the principal component analysis, ordinary least squares and multinomial logit regressions. Findings This study indicates that for monolithic-clad dwellings, the price discount due to leaky building stigma is significant. Depending on the severity of the leaking problems, this is about 11 per cent on average for general market stigma and an additional 5-10 per cent for post-remediation stigma. The results highlight that meeting the regulatory standards for remediation work cannot totally eliminate the negative stigma effect on remediated properties. The findings are in line with the lemon theory introduced by Akerlof (1970) and robust to individual characteristics of the survey respondent. Originality/value General market stigma has been widely researched and documented in the literature. In contrast, there is a lack of research as to whether remediation will eliminate stigma, particularly in the presence of general market stigma. The authors are the first to show that post-remediation stigma can cause value loss in addition to general market stigma based on the lemon theory proposed by Akerlof (1970).

Determinants of SME growth

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 966-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Habib Kachlami ◽  
Darush Yazdanfar
Keyword(s):  
Random Effects ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the firm-level financial variables affecting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach The study applies a resource-based view to analyze the firm-level as well as industry-level determinants of SME growth. Empirical evidence has also been provided from a data set of SMEs in Sweden to support the hypotheses. For a robust statistical analysis, three models – ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, random-effects regression and fixed-effects regression – are used to examine the influence of explanatory variables on growth. Findings The findings of this study show a positive and significant influence of profitability, short-term debt and size on a firm’s growth across all three models. Results regarding the influence of long-term debt on growth, however, are mixed. While the results of a fixed-effect model show the negative and significant influence of long-term debt on growth, the results according to OLS and random effects show long-term debt positively related to growth. Research limitations/implications This study has been conducted over a period of four years and in the context of Sweden which may limit the generalizability of its results for longer periods and for different contexts. Moreover, the low explanatory power of the models implies the need to also consider other types of variables, such as managerial or socio-economic variables, to better explain the determinants of SME growth. Practical implications Understanding the determinants of growth can be important for policy makers, SME managers and financial institutions. The findings of this study can be used for designing policies which stimulate SME growth. Realizing the financial resources that influence growth can also help SME managers and financial institutions to understand each other’s need for better cooperation. Originality/value This paper applies different models for analyzing large and cross-sectoral data regarding SME growth in the context of Sweden.

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