Underforest economy participation and multidimensional child welfare in rural China: evidence from mountainous household survey data
- 1chool of Business, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan, Hunan, China
Abstract
IntroductionThis study examines the relationship between household participation in the underforest economy and multidimensional child welfare in rural China.MethodsWe use a purposive survey of 786 households with children aged 7–15 in five mountainous counties of Hunan Province, conducted in 2023. We construct a welfare index covering education, health, mental well-being, care, and development opportunities. The analysis uses regression models with village-clustered standard errors, alternative welfare measures and specifications, propensity score matching, inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment, and instrumental-variable estimation based on historical forestry-station accessibility.ResultsUnderforest participation is associated with a 0.141-unit increase in the welfare index, equivalent to 0.383 standard deviations. Positive associations are found for education, health, mental well-being, and care; the estimate for development opportunities is positive but statistically imprecise. The baseline association remains stable across robustness checks. Historical forestry-station accessibility predicts participation, and the 2SLS estimates are positive under both county and township fixed effects. Participating households report higher income and education spending, greater parental local employment and companionship, and lower parental migration. Children spend 0.576 additional hours per week on household work/help.DiscussionThe findings are consistent with resource-enhancing and care-retention pathways linking underforest participation to child welfare, alongside a time-allocation trade-off. Forest livelihood programs should consider children’s schooling, care, and work demands when assessing household benefits.
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BibTeX
@article{mao2026underforest,
title = {{Underforest economy participation and multidimensional child welfare in rural China: evidence from mountainous household survey data}},
author = {Huilin Mao and Jing Li and YuHui Li},
journal = {Frontiers in Forests and Global Change},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/ffgc.2026.1929842},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2026.1929842},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Underforest economy participation and multidimensional child welfare in rural China: evidence from mountainous household survey data
AU - Huilin Mao
AU - Jing Li
AU - YuHui Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
DO - 10.3389/ffgc.2026.1929842
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2026.1929842
AB - IntroductionThis study examines the relationship between household participation in the underforest economy and multidimensional child welfare in rural China.MethodsWe use a purposive survey of 786 households with children aged 7–15 in five mountainous counties of Hunan Province, conducted in 2023. We construct a welfare index covering education, health, mental well-being, care, and development opportunities. The analysis uses regression models with village-clustered standard errors, alternative welfare measures and specifications, propensity score matching, inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment, and instrumental-variable estimation based on historical forestry-station accessibility.ResultsUnderforest participation is associated with a 0.141-unit increase in the welfare index, equivalent to 0.383 standard deviations. Positive associations are found for education, health, mental well-being, and care; the estimate for development opportunities is positive but statistically imprecise. The baseline association remains stable across robustness checks. Historical forestry-station accessibility predicts participation, and the 2SLS estimates are positive under both county and township fixed effects. Participating households report higher income and education spending, greater parental local employment and companionship, and lower parental migration. Children spend 0.576 additional hours per week on household work/help.DiscussionThe findings are consistent with resource-enhancing and care-retention pathways linking underforest participation to child welfare, alongside a time-allocation trade-off. Forest livelihood programs should consider children’s schooling, care, and work demands when assessing household benefits.
SN - 2624-893X
ER -