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Effect of Parental Migration on the Academic Performance of Left-behind Children in Northwestern China
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Effect of Parental Migration on the Academic Performance of Left-behind Children in Northwestern China

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  • Bai, Yu
  • Zhang, Linxiu
  • Liu, Chengfang
  • Shi, Yaojiang
  • Mo, Di
  • Rozelle, Scott

Abstract

China’s rapid development and urbanization has induced large numbers of rural residents to migrate from their homes in the countryside to urban areas in search of higher wages. As a consequence, it is estimated that more than 60 million children in rural China are left behind and live with relatives, typically their paternal grandparents. These children are called Left Behind Children (or LBCs). There are concerns about the potential negative effects of parental migration on the academic performance of the LBCs that could be due to the absence of parental care. However, it might also be that when a child’s parents work in the city away from home, their remittances can increase the household’s income and provide more resources and that this can lead to better academic performance. Hence, the net impact of out-migration on the academic performance of LBCs is unclear. This paper examines changes in academic performance before and after the parents of students out-migrate. We draw on a panel dataset collected by the authors of more than 13,000 students at 130 rural primary schools in ethnic minority areas of rural China. Using difference-in-difference and propensity score matching approaches, our results indicate that generally parental migration has significant, positive impacts on the academic performance of LBCs (which we measure using standardized English test scores). Heterogeneous analysis using our data demonstrates that the positive impact on LBCs is greater for poorer performing students.

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  • Bai, Yu & Zhang, Linxiu & Liu, Chengfang & Shi, Yaojiang & Mo, Di & Rozelle, Scott, 2016. "Effect of Parental Migration on the Academic Performance of Left-behind Children in Northwestern China," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236806, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea16:236806
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.236806
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    Cited by:

    1. Siebert, W. Stanley & Wei, Xiangdong & Wong, Ho Lun & Zhou, Xiang, 2018. "Student Feedback, Parent-Teacher Communication, and Academic Performance: Experimental Evidence from Rural China," IZA Discussion Papers 11347, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Zhou, Yexin & Chen, Siwei & Chen, Yefeng & Vollan, Björn, 2022. "Does parental migration impede the development of the cooperative preferences in their left-behind children? Evidence from a large-scale field experiment in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. Jiang, Hanchen & Yang, Xi, 2019. "Parental Migration, Investment in Children, and Children's Non-cognitive Development: Evidence from Rural China," GLO Discussion Paper Series 395, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Yulan Liu & Zihong Deng & Ilan Katz, 2022. "Transmission of Educational Outcomes Across Three Generations: Evidence From Migrant Workers’ Children in China," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(5), pages 2563-2595, October.
    5. Liu, Han & Chang, Fang & Corn, Hannah & Zhang, Yi & Shi, Yaojiang, 2021. "The impact of parental migration on non-cognitive abilities of left behind children in northwestern China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    6. Bart Cockx & Jinkai Li & Erga Luo, 2023. "The Long-Term Impact of Parental Migration on the Health of Young Left-Behind Children," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2023019, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    7. Zheng, Xiaodong & Fang, Zuyi & Wang, Yajun & Fang, Xiangming, 2022. "When left-behind children become adults and parents: The long-term human capital consequences of parental absence in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    8. Fang, Shu & Huang, Jin & Curley, Jami & Birkenmaier, Julie, 2018. "Family assets, parental expectations, and children educational performance: An empirical examination from China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 60-68.
    9. Fu, Linyun & Zhu, Yiqi, 2020. "Are rural children of work-away parents really left behind? Voices from rural teachers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    10. Chang, Fang & Jiang, Yuxi & Loyalka, Prashant & Chu, James & Shi, Yaojiang & Osborn, Annie & Rozelle, Scott, 2019. "Parental migration, educational achievement, and mental health of junior high school students in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 337-349.
    11. Qiu, Hui & Liang, Xiao & Sun, Dan, 2024. "Parental migration, sibling migration, and the educational outcomes of children left behind in rural China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    12. Wang, Haining & Cheng, Zhiming & Zhe Wang, Ben & Chen, Yuanyuan, 2021. "Childhood left-behind experience and labour market outcomes in China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 196-207.
    13. Chunhai Gao & Endale Tadesse & Sabika Khalid, 2022. "Word of Mouth from Left-Behind Children in Rural China: Exploring Their Psychological, Academic and Physical Well-being During COVID-19," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(5), pages 1719-1740, October.
    14. Xiaoyan Fan, 2022. "Unpacking the Association between Family Functionality and Psychological Distress among Chinese Left-Behind Children: The Mediating Role of Social Support and Internet Addiction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-12, October.
    15. Zhao, Qiran & Wang, Xiaobing & Rozelle, Scott, 2019. "Better cognition, better school performance? Evidence from primary schools in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 199-217.
    16. Min Wu & Mengyun Jin & Luyao Zeng & Yihao Tian, 2022. "The Effects of Parental Migrant Work Experience on Labor Market Performance of Rural-Urban Migrants: Evidence from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-18, September.
    17. Guo, Jing & Huang, Ning & Fu, Mingqi & Ma, Shuang & Chen, Minglong & Wang, Xiaohua & Feng, Xing Lin & Zhang, Bo, 2021. "Social support as a mediator between internet addiction and quality of life among Chinese high school students," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    18. Wang, Jianxin & Yuan, Caiyun & Zhang, Qian & Houser, Daniel, 2023. "Parents’ absence harms norm obedience of girls more than boys," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 17-29.
    19. Yang, Zhenbing & Chen, Zhuo & Shao, Shuai & Yang, Lili, 2022. "Unintended consequences of additional support on the publications of universities: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    20. Bai, Yu & Yang, Ning & Wang, Lei & Zhang, Siqi, 2022. "The impacts of maternal migration on the cognitive development of preschool-aged children left behind in rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    21. Clément Imbert & Joan Monras & Marlon Seror & Yanos Zylberberg, 2023. "Floating Population: Migration With(Out) Family and the Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity," Working Paper Series 2023-26, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
    22. Nelsensius Klau Fauk & Alfonsa Liquory Seran & Paul Aylward & Lillian Mwanri & Paul Russell Ward, 2024. "Parental Migration and the Social and Mental Well-Being Challenges among Indonesian Left-Behind Children: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(6), pages 1-15, June.
    23. Wenjie Duan & Xinhang Yu & Xiaoqing Tang, 2023. "“Humor A B C” Program: Specific Strength Intervention in Facilitating the Positive Development of Left-Behind Children," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1605-1624, April.

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