Publication: Is There a Bright Side to the China Syndrome? Rising Export Opportunities and Life Satisfaction in China
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Embargoed until 2025-08-27
Embargoed until 2025-08-27
Date
2024-02-27
ISSN
0258-6770
Published
2024-02-27
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Abstract
Export growth affects individuals through numerous and contradictory channels. In China, the development of exports has promoted economic development and income growth, but it has also disrupted social structures and work environments. This paper explores the overall effect of exports on perceived well-being by combining responses from a large longitudinal survey covering over 45,000 Chinese with a shift-share measure of local export opportunities. Results show that individuals’ perceived life satisfaction increases significantly in prefectures that benefited from greater export opportunities, despite a negative effect on self-reported health. The positive well-being gains go beyond a simple income effect. These non-monetary gains are related to the individuals’ professional life: export-related well-being gains are stronger for working-age individuals (especially men and low-skilled workers), are largest for workers in the manufacturing sector (which produces the vast majority of China’s exports), and are found when the satisfaction indicator focuses on work but not on other aspects of daily life.
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“Crozet, Matthieu; Hering, Laura; Poncet, Sandra. 2024. Is There a Bright Side to the China Syndrome? Rising Export Opportunities and Life Satisfaction in China. World Bank Economic Review. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/42352 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO
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World Bank Economic Review
1564-698X
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