INFLUENCE OF FAMILY BACKGROUND ON CURRENT FAMILY WEALTH IN RURAL CHINA

Abstract

This paper examines the influence of family human capital on offspring's economic status in post reform rural China, using nationally representative cross-sectional survey of rural households for 2002. Focuses are on family class origin and occupational experiences. The major findings are as follows. First, parental experiences of a nonagricultural family business before collectivization have a positive and statistically significant effect on offspring's family wealth. Second, the offspring of landlord/rich peasant and middle peasant families are more likely to have higher family wealth than poor and lower-middle peasant families. The findings suggest the robustness of the rural family as the cultural entity.