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Like father, like son? Parental input, access to higher education, and social mobility in China

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  • Gu, Xiang
  • Hua, Sheng
  • McKenzie, Tom
  • Zheng, Yanqiao

Abstract

This paper studies the role of parental input in university access in the context of a 10-fold expansion of China's higher-education sector since 1999. Using a Logit regression, we find that an increase in a parent's education level significantly raises their child's probability of entering university. Moreover, the effects of parental involvement and children's trust towards their parents on university entrance are highly significant. The results are robust to Probit and Linear-Probability-Model specifications. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that for rural and/or worse-educated families, parental involvement significantly affects the child's access to university, while for urban and/or better-educated families, the child's own study attitude is key for progression to university. To address the confounder of genetic inheritance, we use regression discontinuity and two-stage least squares and find that the nine-year compulsory education policy launched in 1986 not only increased the education years of the first generation by about 1.66 years, but has also had a lasting effect by raising the second generation's probability of access to university by 11.77%.

Suggested Citation

  • Gu, Xiang & Hua, Sheng & McKenzie, Tom & Zheng, Yanqiao, 2022. "Like father, like son? Parental input, access to higher education, and social mobility in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:72:y:2022:i:c:s1043951x22000190
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2022.101761
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    Cited by:

    1. Duan, Yide & Zhang, Haotian & Wang, Wenfu & Ao, Xiaoyan, 2022. "The effects of China's higher education expansion on urban and rural intergenerational mobility," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Zanbaz Ahmed Khan & Biswajit Patra, 2024. "Intergenerational Mobility in South Asia," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 25(1), pages 7-25, March.
    3. Wang, Haining & Cheng, Zhiming & Smyth, Russell, 2022. "Parental misbeliefs and household investment in children's education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Parental input; Access to higher education; Social mobility; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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