收入差距与社会地位寻求:一个高储蓄率的原因

我们使用中国城镇住户调查数据证实:在控制家庭收入之后,收入差距仍然会显著减少家庭除教育以外的消费。我们还发现收入差距对低收入或年轻家庭的消费抑制更加明显,但能刺激教育投资的上升。这很可能来源于为提升社会地位而储蓄的动机。更高的社会地位可以带来各种物质或非物质上的收益。而社会不平等的增加意味着进入社会上层可以获得更高的收益,同时提升地位需要更多的财富。这些都可能加强人们为提高社会地位而储蓄的激励。

Income Inequality,Status Seeking,and Consumption

Using Chinese urban household survey data,we find that income inequality has a negative(positive)impact on households' consumption(savings),even after controlling family income.We argue that people save to improve their social status when social status is associated with pecuniary and non-pecuniary benefits.Rising income inequality can strengthen the incentives of status-seeking savings by increasing the benefits of improving status and enlarging the wealth level that is required for status upgrading.We als...