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Does Social Assistance Increase Smoking and Drinking among the Poor? Evidence from the Minimum Living Security System in China

Author
Zhang, Xiaoyuan
Abstract
This paper examines the effect of one of the world’s largest social assistance programs, the Minimum Living Security System (MLSS) in China, on its recipients’ smoking and drinking behaviors. In order to address the endogeneity of risky health behaviors and income as well as the issue of selection bias, this paper uses a propensity score matching (PSM) method on the 2012 wave of the China Family Panel Studies Survey (CFPS) to explore the effect. The results indicate that the MLSS receipt decreases the probability of smoking and smokers’ consumption on cigarettes while it does not affect smoking intensity. Meanwhile, there is no evidence that the MLSS has an effect on recipients’ drinking behaviors.
Description
56 pages
Date Issued
2021-08Subject
China; drinking; propensity score matching; smoking; social assistance
Committee Chair
Turvey, Calum G.
Committee Member
Ziebarth, Nicolas R.
Degree Discipline
Applied Economics and Management
Degree Name
M.S., Applied Economics and Management
Degree Level
Master of Science
Type
dissertation or thesis