Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture No. 2/14
Official Ethnic Labels and Non-Agricultural Work in Guizhou (China)
Bente Castro Campos
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Abstract
Using the 2009 data of the China Health and Nutrition Survey from Guizhou province,
this paper analyzes whether an official ethnic label can be linked to a lower probability
of non-agricultural employment. Results suggest that the Buyi and the Miao are
less likely to work in non-agricultural fields than are Han (the majority group); the
Tujia are more likely to work in non-agricultural fields than are Han. The predicted
probability of non-agricultural employment for the Miao is lower than that of Han at
almost all educational and age levels. Alongside the official ethnic label, more years of
education and younger age appear to be most crucial for working in non-agricultural
employment.
Keywords: ethnic labels, labor discrimination, economic anthropology
JEL: Z1, J7, J1
Vol. 53 (2014), No. 2: 169-196