Presentation Schedule
School Feeding Program and Household Education Expenditure in Rural China (94696)
Session Chair: Christian Villegas
Saturday, 12 July 2025 16:15
Session: Session 4
Room: UCL Torrington, G10 (Ground Floor)
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
This study investigates how China’s Rural Students Nutrition Improvement Program (RSNIP) reshapes households' resource allocation between children's health and education using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Prior literature largely overlooks how economically disadvantaged parents allocate resources between health and educational investments when participating in public nutrition programs. To address this gap, this research employs a difference-in-differences strategy to evaluate the program's causal impact. Specifically, the analysis compares household expenditure behaviors between families with eligible children and those without, before and after RSNIP implementation. Results indicate that eligible households significantly reduce their food expenditures by approximately 14.5%, while education expenditures rise by around 23.1%, reflecting a clear resource reallocation. Heterogeneity analysis further demonstrates that resource reallocation is particularly pronounced among lower-income households, households with lower parental education levels, and families with left-behind children. Additionally, the study finds improvements in children's nutritional status, health outcomes, academic performance, and heightened parental educational expectations. A two-period household human capital investment model developed in the study illustrates that school feeding programs relieve credit constraints for low-income households, thereby encouraging increased investments in children's education. Overall, the findings underscore the effectiveness of public nutrition interventions in influencing household spending decisions, promoting education investment, and mitigating intergenerational poverty. These insights highlight the importance of integrated policy interventions that jointly support children's health and education, emphasizing RSNIP’s role in reducing education inequality and intergenerational poverty in rural China.
Authors:
Zitong Wang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
About the Presenter(s)
Mr Zitong Wang is a University Doctoral Student at The Chinese University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong
See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule
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