Speaker:Dr. Chen Zhuang, Assistant Professor (Peking University)
Host:Dr. Mingjia Xie, Assistant Professor (Li Anmin Institute of Economic Research, Liaoning University)
Guest Introduction:Dr. Dandan Wang, Assistant Professor (Li Anmin Institute of Economic Research, Liaoning University)
Date and Time:December 11, 2024 (Wednesday), 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (Beijing Time)
Venue:Wuzhou Yuan Conference Room, 1st Floor, Chongshan Campus, Liaoning University
Online Platform:Tencent Meeting 358-6417-4104
Language:Chinese/English
Abstract:
We investigate the impact of exiting a national anti-poverty program on mental health, using China's post-2021 policy transition as a natural experiment. Employing a regression discontinuity design, we find significant improvements in mental health outcomes, including reduced depression and increased self-efficacy, among residents in counties that exited the program. Our analysis shows that strengthened social ties, such as increased emotional support and better communication, mediate this improvement. Residents' economic conditions do not significantly change following the program's termination. These findings suggest that reduced government intervention after poverty alleviation fosters closer community bonds, improving mental health with limited economic repercussions.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Chen Zhuang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Resource and Environmental Economics at Peking University’s School of Economics, and the Deputy Director of the China Credit Research Center at Peking University. He is also a researcher at the Global Labor Organization (GLO). Dr. Zhuang graduated in 2022 with a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Washington. His research focuses on development economics (with an emphasis on health and well-being determinants, human capital investment, fertility decisions, and urban-rural coordination) and empirical industrial organization (focusing on the pharmaceutical market, platform economy, productivity, and firm behavior). He has published over twenty papers in leading domestic and international journals, includingThe Economic Journal,China Rural Economy,Journal of Comparative Economics,Journal of International Money and Finance,The World Economy,China Economic Review,Economics Letters,Nature Communications, andPreventive Medicine.
