Please wait a minute...
Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2021, Vol. 20 Issue (4): 1107-1118    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(21)63626-2
Section 4: Poverty alleviation through social safety net programs Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
The power of informal institutions: The impact of clan culture on the depression of the elderly in rural China
LIU Xiao-hong1, WANG Wei-dong2, ZHANG Lin-xiu3, 4
1 China Center for Agricultural Policy, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P.R.China
2 School of Economics and Management, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R.China
3 UN Environment-International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), Beijing 100101, P.R.China
4 Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, P.R.China
Download:  PDF in ScienceDirect  
Export:  BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      
摘要  

探索如何提升居民的主观福利是当前学术研究的重要议题之一。本文采用2010年中国家庭追踪调查数据库探究宗族文化对农村老年人精神健康的影响。本文的研究结果发现,宗族文化能够显著地降低农村老年人口的抑郁得分。同时,研究结论也表明,宗族文化对老年人抑郁得分的影响并不存在显著的差异。本研究进一步发现宗族文化对农村老年人抑郁状况的改善作用在经济欠发达的农村地区更为明显。进一步探究宗族文化影响农村老年人抑郁得分的机制发现,宗族文化通过影响老年人的社会支持,进一步起到改善其抑郁状况的作用。本研究有助于丰富非正式制度对农村居民福利的影响的研究。同时,也能够为下一阶段政府制定相对贫困的纾解策略提供一定的决策参考。




Abstract  
Exploration of ways to improve the subjective welfare of residents is an important area of current academic research.  Using data from the China Family Panel Studies survey conducted in 2010, this paper investigated the impact of clan culture on the mental health of elderly people in rural China.  The results demonstrated that clan culture can significantly decrease the depression score of the rural elderly.  Further, there was no gender difference with respect to the impact of clan culture on the depression score of the elderly.  At the same time, the positive effects of clan culture on the depression score of the elderly have gradually weakened with economic development.  Exploration of the mechanisms involved indicated that in areas with stronger clan culture, older people receive more social support.  This study enriches our understanding of the impact of informal institutions on the welfare of rural residents.  At the same time, it can also provide a certain decision-making reference for the government to formulate relative poverty relief strategies in a new stage of poverty alleviation.
Keywords:  clan culture        the elderly        depression        rural China        social support  
Received: 09 August 2020   Accepted:
Fund: We acknowledge the financial support provided by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (BLX201945).
Corresponding Authors:  Correspondence WANG Wei-dong, Tel/Fax: +86-10-62337196, E-mail: wangwd2019 @bjfu.edu.cn   
About author:  LIU Xiao-hong, E-mail: xiaohong.liu@pku.edu.cn;

Cite this article: 

LIU Xiao-hong, WANG Wei-dong, ZHANG Lin-xiu. 2021. The power of informal institutions: The impact of clan culture on the depression of the elderly in rural China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 20(4): 1107-1118.

Alesina A, Giuliano P. 2015. Culture and institutions. Journal of Economic Literature, 53, 898–944.
Bian Y, Li L. 2005. China’s general social survey 2003 (CGSS2003): A methodological report. Paper presented at the JGSS Colloquium. pp. 5–157.
Caporale G M, Georgellis Y, Tsitsianis N, Yin Y P. 2009. Income and happiness across Europe: Do reference values matter? Journal of Economic Psychology, 30, 42–51.
Chen B, Chen S. 2018. Flowing social capital: Can traditional clan culture affect migrants’ employment in modern society? Economic Research Journal, 53, 35–49. (in Chinese)
Chen S, Oliva P, Zhang P. 2018. Air pollution and mental health: Evidence from China. NBER Working Paper. No. w24686.
Cheng L, Zhang Y, Shen K. 2015. Understanding the pathways of the education-health gradient: Evidence from the Chinese elderly. China Economic Quarterly, 14, 305–330. (in Chinese)
Chevalier A, Feinstein L. 2006. Sheepskin or Prozac: The causal effect of education on mental health. Working Paper. No. 2231. Institute of Labor Economics, London, UK.
Ding C, Shao M, Liang Z. 2018. The clan and human capital investment in rural China: An empirical study. Chinese Rural Economy, 2, 95–108. (in Chinese)
Ellison N B, Steinfield C, Lampe C. 2007. The benefits of Facebook “friends:” Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143–1168.
Fei X. 1998. Rural China: Fertility System. Peking University Press, Beijing, China. (in Chinese)
Fernández R. 2011. Does culture matter? In: Handbook of Social Economics. vol. 1. North-Holland, Netherland. pp. 481–510.
Gu L, Qiao X. 2006. Analysis on the influencing factors of self-assessment of the health of the elderly in China. Population Journal, 6, 25–29.
Guo Y, Wang C. 2017. Native religions, lineage networks and public finance. China Economic Quarterly, 16, 833–858. (in Chinese)
Guo Y, Yao Y. 2013. The lineage networks and the migration of the labor forces. Management World, 3, 69–81, 87–188. (in Chinese)
Guo Y, Yao Y, Foltz J D. 2014. The external environment, the growth of the company, and the business operation by the corporate headquarters themselves. Management World, 1, 73–89, 188. (in Chinese)
Hao X, Hu A. 2010. China ageing population: Health insecurity and policy research. China Population, Resources and Environment, 20, 73–78.
He G, Xie J F, Zhou J D, Zhong Z Q, Qin C X, Ding S Q. 2016. Depression in left-behind elderly in rural China: Prevalence and associated factors. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 16, 638–643.
He X, Tong Z. 2002. On social solidarity of villages - also on the social basis of village order. Social Sciences in China, 3, 124–134, 207. (in Chinese)
He Z. 2002. Socioeconomic status and social support network of the rural elderly and their physical and mental health. Social Sciences in China, 3, 135–148, 207. (in Chinese)
Jiang G. 2006. A review of the research on contemporary Chinese rural clans since the 1990s. China Rural Survey, 3, 60–69. (in Chinese)
Kessler R C, Andrews G, Colpe L J, Hiripi E, Mroczek D K, Normand S L, Walters E E, Zaslavsky A M. 2002. Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32, 959–976.
Kessler R C, Barker P R, Colpe L J, Epstein J F, Gfroerer J C, Hiripi E, Howes M J, Nomand S T, Manderscheid R W, Walters E E, Zaslavsky A M. 2003. Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 184–189.
Kourouklis D, Verropoulou G, Tsimbos C. 2020. The impact of wealth and income on the depression of older adults across European welfare regimes. Ageing & Society, 40, 2448–2479.
Li C. 1994. A study of the rural clan system in China. Management World, 5, 184–191, 220. (in Chinese)
Li X, Xiao Z, Xiao S. 2009. Suicide among the elderly in mainland China. Psychogeriatrics, 9, 62–66.
Liu H, Gao S, Wang J. 2011. The Impact of elder-care patterns on Chinese elderly’s health and well-being. Economic Research Journal, 46, 80–93, 106. (in Chinese)
Luo R F, Liu C F, Gao J J, Wang T Y, Zhi H Y, Shi P F, Huang J K. 2020. Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural poverty and policy responses in China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 19, 2946–2964.
Ma G, Yang E. 2011. Social networks, informal finance and entrepreneurship. Economic Research Journal, 46, 83–94. (in Chinese)
Mirowsky J, Ross C E. 1992. Age and depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 187–205.
Munshi K, Rosenzweig M. 2010. Why is mobility in India so low? Social insurance, inequality, and growth. Working Paper. No. w14850. National Bureau of Economic Research, USDA.
Parker G, Brotchie H. 2010. Gender differences in depression. International Review of Psychiatry, 22, 429–436.
Phillips M R, Zhang J, Shi Q, Song Z, Ding Z, Pang S, Li X, Zhang Y, Wang Z. 2009. Prevalence, treatment, and associated disability of mental disorders in four provinces in China during 2001–05: An epidemiological survey. The Lancet, 373, 2041–2053.
Prochaska J J, Sung H Y, Max W, Shi Y, Ong M. 2012. Validity study of the K6 scale as a measure of moderate mental distress based on mental health treatment need and utilization. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 21, 88–97.
Rempel J D, Krueger C, Uhanova J, Wong S, Minuk G Y. 2019. The impact of gender on interferon-associated depression and anxiety. Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, 39, 416–420.
Tao Y, Shen Y. 2014. The influence of social support on the physical and mental health of the rural elderly. Population & Economics, 3, 3–14. (in Chinese)
Tsai L L. 2007. Accountability without Democracy: Solidary Groups and Public Goods Provision in Rural China.Cambridge University Press, UK.
Wang C, Feng D. 2018. The determination mechanism of entrepreneurial behavior for Chinese rural–urban immigrants. China Economic Quarterly, 17, 355–382. (in Chinese)
Wang H. 1991. Contemporary Chinese village family culture - an exploration of Chinese social modernization. Fudan Journal (Social Sciences Edition), 3, 41–43. (in Chinese)
Wang J. 2013. Rural marketization, social capital and the mechanisms of rural family income. Sociological Studies, 28, 119–144, 244. (in Chinese)
Wang J B. 2013. Traditional culture, informal institution and social contract: A microeconomic evidence based on ancestral ideas, national ethics and corporate debt maturity structure. Economic Management Journal, 35, 150–161. (in Chinese)
Williamson C R. 2009. Informal institutions rule: institutional arrangements and economic performance. Public Choice, 139, 371–387.
Wu J, Qi X, Fan D, Li G. 2016. Clan network and transfer of rural land management right. Journal of Agrotechnical Economics, 7, 29–38. (in Chinese)
Xie Y. 2012. The User’s Guide of the China Family Panel Studies (2010). Institute of Social Science Survey, Peking University, Beijing. (in Chinese)
Yang R, Chen B, Zhu S. 2011. The credit behavior of rural households from the perspective of social network. Economic Research Journal, 46, 116–129. (in Chinese)
Zhang C. 2019a. Clans, entrepreneurship, and development of the private sector in China. Journal of Comparative Economics, 48, 100–123.
Zhang C. 2019b. Family support or social support? The role of clan culture. Journal of Population Economics, 32, 529–549.
Zhang C, Chen B. 2014. Can “public pension system” substitutes “family mutual insurance”. Economic Research Journal, 49, 102–115. (in Chinese)
Zhang C, Li T. 2015. International trends of cultural economics research. Economic Perspectives, (1), 96–108. (in Chinese)
Zhang C, Ma G. 2017. Clan culture, son preference and the development of women in China. The Journal of World Economy, 40, 122–143. (in Chinese)
Zhu M, Zheng X, Li T. 2019. Clan network, insurance system and rural women’s out-of-job employment: an empirical analysis of spatial econometrics based on CFPS database. Economic Science, 4, 105–117. (in Chinese)
[1] PENG Yan-ling, Yanjun REN, LI Hou-jian. Do credit constraints affect households’ economic vulnerability? Empirical evidence from rural China[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2021, 20(9): 2552-2568.
[2] LI Shao-ping, DONG Yong-qing, ZHANG Lin-xiu, LIU Cheng-fang. Off-farm employment and poverty alleviation in rural China[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2021, 20(4): 943-952.
[3] BAI Yun-li, ZHANG Lin-xiu, SUN Ming-xing, XU Xiang-bo. Status and path of intergenerational transmission of poverty in rural China: A human capital investment perspective[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2021, 20(4): 1080-1091.
[4] LI Lei, ZHAI Shi-xian, BAI Jun-fei. The dynamic impact of income and income distribution on food consumption among adults in rural China[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2021, 20(1): 330-342.
[5] LIU Xiao-yue, ZHAO Qi-ran, CHEN Qi-hui .
Better nutrition, healthier mind?  Experimental evidence from primary schools in rural northwestern China
[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2019, 18(8): 1768-1779.
No Suggested Reading articles found!