No abstract

Using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we investigate household inheritances’ structural characteristics and their effects on wealth distribution. First, we find that the proportion of households receiving inheritances in China is slightly lower than that of some European countries and the United States, and the inheritance scale, especially the proportion of inheritances in household net worth, is much lower. Second, inheritances can significantly promote wealth accumulation, and wealthy households are more likely to receive larger‐scale inheritances. Therefore, inheritances can aggravate class stratification and reduce social mobility. Third, inheritances reduce relative wealth inequality but widen the absolute wealth gap. This effect’s duality is that although wealthy households have inheritances on a larger scale, the relative importance of the inheritance is more significant for poorer households, who inherit more relative to their household net worth. Altruistic motivations of inheritance donors can help explain this phenomenon.

At present, Non-Wood Forest Products industry (NTFP) is developing all over the country. But some provinces share some similarities in NTFP industry development. They have not make rational distribution of resources according to their endowment, location and industrial base, etc. Therefore, making a rational planning of NTFP in different provinces to identify each province's competitive industry, strengthening the study of NTFP distribution have an important guiding significance on giving full play to the advantages of each region, as well as better develop the economic, ecological and social benefits of non-wood forest products. This study, on the basis of the status of NTFP and the research of the type used, makes a summary of the characteristics of the distribution of non-wood forest products industry and makes some recommendations on the corresponding policies.