Showing papers by "Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences published in 2012"
TL;DR: The authors used an instrumental variable approach to provide consistent estimators of explanatory variables at household and commune levels for ethnic differences in household expenditure per person, and found that as much as 49 to 66 percent of the ethnic gap is attributed to differences in endowments.
Abstract: Re-examining the sources of ethnic inequality in Vietnam, we use an instrumental variable approach to provide consistent estimators of explanatory variables at household and commune levels for ethnic differences in household expenditure per person. Four key conclusions are drawn. First, removing language barriers significantly reduces ethnic inequality, especially through enhancing the gains earned by minorities from education. Second, variations in returns to education favour the majority in mixed communes, suggesting that the special needs of minority students have not been adequately addressed, or that there exists unequal treatment in the labour market. Third, with the exception of hard-surfaced roads, there is little difference in the benefits drawn from enhanced infrastructure at the commune level across ethnic groups. Finally, contrary to established views, we find that as much as 49 to 66 percent of the ethnic gap is attributed to differences in endowments, not to differences in the returns to endowments.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed data from the three Vietnam Household Living Standards Surveys between 2002 and 2006 and found that a very large proportion of Vietnamese households received remittances during those years and that these remittance constituted a significant share of household incomes.
Abstract: By analyzing data from the three Vietnam Household Living Standards Surveys between 2002 and 2006, the authors found that a very large proportion of Vietnamese households received remittances during those years and that these remittances constituted a significant share of household incomes. The majority of households received remittances from within Vietnam, but for those able to access remittances from abroad, the amounts were very much larger. In general, remittances do seem to play an “insurance role” for the poor, cushioning any sudden falls in household incomes. There is also some evidence that public transfers can crowd out private remittances, but the effect is by no means complete.
4 citations