Can China's Rural Elderly Count on Support from Adult Children? Implications of Rural-to-Urban Migration

Giles, John ; Wang, Dewen ; Zhao, Changbao

关键词: ABSENCE OF TRANSFERS;    ABSOLUTE POVERTY;    ATTRITION;    CHRONIC ILLNESS;    CROWDING OUT;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-5510
RP-ID  :  WPS5510

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper shows that support from thefamily continues to be an important source of support forthe rural elderly, particularly the rural elderly over 70years of age. Decline in likelihood of co-residence with, orin close proximity to, adult children raises the possibilitythat China's rural elderly will receive less support inthe forms of both income and in-kind instrumental care.Although descriptive evidence on net financial transferssuggests that the elderly with migrant children will receivesimilar levels of financial transfers as those withoutmigrant children, the predicted variance associated withthese transfers implies a higher risk that elderly withmigrant children may fall into poverty. Reducing the risk oflow incomes among the elderly is one important motive fornew rural pension initiatives supported by China'sgovernment, which are scheduled to be expanded to cover allrural counties by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan in 2016.