Social Capital Inequality According to Hukou in Unequal Economic Environments in China

China is experiencing an increase in socioeconomic inequality in comparison to the global trend. Employing the hukou registration as a focal point, this study seeks to examine social capital differences between developed and underdeveloped regions in China. As the data for the analysis were from the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2022-10, Vol.14 (21), p.13748
Main Authors: Lyu, Songyang, Kang, Sungik, Koo, Ja-Hoon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cities
Citizen participation
Community
Economic aspects
Economic growth
GDP
Gross Domestic Product
Impact analysis
Income distribution
Income inequality
Personal income
Registration
Rural areas
Social capital
Social networks
Social organization
Society
Socioeconomic factors
Sustainability
Urban areas
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Summary:China is experiencing an increase in socioeconomic inequality in comparison to the global trend. Employing the hukou registration as a focal point, this study seeks to examine social capital differences between developed and underdeveloped regions in China. As the data for the analysis were from the China Family Panel Studies, social capital was measured by social trust, participation, and networks. The Gini coefficient, a measure of economic inequality, was calculated for 25 different provinces in China in this paper. In light of the fact that these are panel data collected between 2014 and 2018, this study employed the random-effect model for panel analysis. The first finding is that individuals, in an environment characterized by high levels of economic inequality, have low levels of social capital levels in China. Second, the inverse relationship between economic inequality and social capital varies according to social capital element. Specifically, this inverse relationship was observed in social trust and social networks, but not in social participation. Third, hukou registration moderated the inverse relationship between economic inequality and social capital. The rural hukou registration revealed a stronger inverse relationship between economic inequality and social capital than its urban counterpart. This indicates that the negative impact of economic inequality on social capital resulted in additional inequality among rural hukou holders.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su142113748