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Resource Dependence and Human Capital Investment in China*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2015

Jing Vivian Zhan ,
Haiyan Duan  and
Ming Zeng
Jing Vivian Zhan*
Affiliation:
Department of Government & Public Administration, the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Haiyan Duan
Affiliation:
School of Political Science and Public Management, East China University of Political Science and Law
Ming Zeng
Affiliation:
School of Public Administration, Nanchang University.
*
Email: zhan@cuhk.edu.hk (corresponding author).
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Abstract

Countries endowed with rich natural resources such as fuels and minerals often fall behind in human development. Does resource endowment hamper human capital development in China, a country that hosts rich resources in many of its regions? Through cross-regional and longitudinal statistical analysis and field research in selected mining areas, this study finds that resource dependence reduces government expenditure on human capital-enhancing public goods including education and health care. The local economic structure and reduced demand for labour, the shifting of government responsibilities onto mining enterprises, and the myopia of local residents and officials all discourage the local governments in resource-rich regions from investing in human capital.

摘要

国际观察发现资源禀赋 — 尤其是石油和矿产资源 — 往往伴随着落后的人力资本发展。中国不是一个典型的矿业国家, 但很多地区拥有十分丰沛的矿产资源; 那么, 资源对于中国的人力资本发展是否也有阻碍作用呢? 通过跨地区和年份的数据分析以及对矿业地区的田野考察, 本研究发现地方对资源的依赖程度越高, 在教育和卫生领域的公共财政投入就越少。而资源型地区人力资本投入匮乏有三大重要原因: 一是资源型经济结构减少对本地劳动力的需求; 二是政府职能长期由企业分担, 造成地方政府对教育和医疗的投入不足; 三是资源型地区的居民和官员的短视心理造成了对人力资本的忽视。

Keywords

Chinacurse of natural resourceshuman capitallocal public goods provisionmixed research method中国资源诅咒人力资本地方公共服务混合研究方法
Type
Articles
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 221 , March 2015 , pp. 49 - 72
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Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 2015 

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Footnotes

*

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (Project ID 456712) and National Social Science Foundation of China (Project ID 13BGL120).

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