Estimating the Effect of the One-Child Policy on Sex Ratio Imbalance in China: Identification Based on the Difference-in-Differences

50 Pages Posted: 30 Aug 2010

See all articles by Hongbin Li

Hongbin Li

Chinese University of Hong Kong - Department of Economics

Junjian Yi

University of Chicago

Junsen Zhang

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) - Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Abstract

In China, the male-biased sex ratio has increased significantly. Because the one-child policy only applied to the Han Chinese but not to minorities, this unique affirmative policy allows us to identify the causal effect of the one-child policy on the increase in sex ratios by a difference-in-differences (DD) estimator. Using the 1990 census, we find that the strict enforcement of the one-child policy has led to 4.4 extra boys per 100 girls in the 1980s, accounting for about 94% of the total increase in sex ratios during this period. The robust tests indicate that the estimated policy effect is not likely confounded by other omitted policy shocks or socioeconomic changes. Moreover, we conduct the DD estimation using both the 2000 census and the 2005 mini-census. Our estimates suggest that the one-child policy has resulted in about 7.0 extra boys per 100 girls for the 1991-2005 birth cohort. The effect of the one-child policy accounts for about 57% and 54% of the total increases in sex ratios for the 1990s and the 2001-2005 birth cohorts, respectively.

Keywords: one-child policy, sex ratio imbalance, difference-in-differences estimator

JEL Classification: J13, J15, J18, O10

Suggested Citation

Li, Hongbin and Yi, Junjian and Zhang, Junsen, Estimating the Effect of the One-Child Policy on Sex Ratio Imbalance in China: Identification Based on the Difference-in-Differences. IZA Discussion Paper No. 5149, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1667773 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1667773

Hongbin Li (Contact Author)

Chinese University of Hong Kong - Department of Economics ( email )

Shatin, N.T.
Hong Kong

Junjian Yi

University of Chicago ( email )

Junsen Zhang

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) - Department of Economics ( email )

Shatin, N.T.
Hong Kong
852-2609-8186 (Phone)
852-2603-5805 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/eco/staff/jszhang/jzhang.htm

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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