TY - JOUR
T1 - Higher Education Expansion and Earnings Premium
T2 - A Comparative Study of Two Systems in China
AU - Jiang, Jin
AU - Lui, Hon-kwong
N1 - This research was supported by a Start-up Grant (No. 162660) from the Hong Kong Baptist University.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024, Francais sur la Chine Contemporaine China. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/3/1
Y1 - 2024/3/1
N2 - Tertiary education in the Chinese mainland has undergone unprecedented expansion since 1999, whereas the most recent expansion in Hong Kong was announced in 2000. Confucian philosophy, prevalent among ethnic Chinese, suggests that education is a fair qualification for selecting elites for high-paid jobs. However, economic structures and popular cultures differ considerably. This article examines the economic returns of a rapid expansion of higher education in two areas, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, with different economic systems but the same cultural heritage, i.e., the Confucian philosophy and its work culture. The results support the view that the declining quality of university graduates is the prime reason for shrinking earnings premium in both systems. The governments should revisit the policies of higher education development and shift the emphasis from quantity to quality, and quality assurance in particular. There is a global trend to establish a quality assurance framework to oversee higher education, and a similar development is observed in the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong.
AB - Tertiary education in the Chinese mainland has undergone unprecedented expansion since 1999, whereas the most recent expansion in Hong Kong was announced in 2000. Confucian philosophy, prevalent among ethnic Chinese, suggests that education is a fair qualification for selecting elites for high-paid jobs. However, economic structures and popular cultures differ considerably. This article examines the economic returns of a rapid expansion of higher education in two areas, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, with different economic systems but the same cultural heritage, i.e., the Confucian philosophy and its work culture. The results support the view that the declining quality of university graduates is the prime reason for shrinking earnings premium in both systems. The governments should revisit the policies of higher education development and shift the emphasis from quantity to quality, and quality assurance in particular. There is a global trend to establish a quality assurance framework to oversee higher education, and a similar development is observed in the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong.
KW - Confucianism
KW - earnings premium
KW - higher education expansion
KW - human capital
KW - one country
KW - two systems
UR - https://www.cefc.com.hk/article/higher-education-expansion-and-earnings-premium-a-comparative-study-of-two-systems-in-china/
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85189529723&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4000/chinaperspectives.16594
DO - 10.4000/chinaperspectives.16594
M3 - Journal article
SN - 2070-3449
SP - 63
EP - 73
JO - China Perspectives
JF - China Perspectives
IS - 136
ER -