Impact of a Senior High School Tuition Relief Program on Poor Junior High School Students in Rural China  

作　　者：Xinxin Chen Yaojiang Shi Di Mo James Chu Prashant Loyalka Scott Rozelle 

机构地区：[1]School of Economics,Zhejiang Gongshang University [2]Northwest Social Economic Research Center,Northwest University [3]LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance [4]Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies,Stanford University

出　　处：《China & World Economy》2013年第3期80-97,共18页中国与世界经济（英文版）

基　　金：the financial assistance of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.71110107028,71033003,71273237 and 70803047);the grant from Poverty and Economic Policy Research Network(PEP);The generous supports of local officials and especially those from Ningshan County Government

摘　　要：A significant gap remains between rural and urban students in the rate of admission to senior high school. One reason for this gap might be the high levels of tuition and fees for senior high school By reducing students＇ expectations of attending high school, high levels of tuition and fees could be reducing student aeademic performance in junior high schools. In this paper we evaluate the impacts of a senior high tuition relief program on the test scores of poor rural seventh grade students in China. We surveyed three counties in Shaanxi Province and exploited the fact that, while the counties are adjacent to one another and share similar characteristics, only one of the three implemented a tuition relief program. Using several alternative estimation strategies, including difference-in-differences, propensity score matching and difference-in-differences matching, we find that the tuition program has a statistically significant and positive impact on the mathematics scores of seventh grade students. More importantly, this program is shown to have a statistically significant and positive effect on the poorest students in the treatment group compared to their wealthier peers.A significant gap remains between rural and urban students in the rate of admission to senior high school. One reason for this gap might be the high levels of tuition and fees for senior high school By reducing students＇ expectations of attending high school, high levels of tuition and fees could be reducing student aeademic performance in junior high schools. In this paper we evaluate the impacts of a senior high tuition relief program on the test scores of poor rural seventh grade students in China. We surveyed three counties in Shaanxi Province and exploited the fact that, while the counties are adjacent to one another and share similar characteristics, only one of the three implemented a tuition relief program. Using several alternative estimation strategies, including difference-in-differences, propensity score matching and difference-in-differences matching, we find that the tuition program has a statistically significant and positive impact on the mathematics scores of seventh grade students. More importantly, this program is shown to have a statistically significant and positive effect on the poorest students in the treatment group compared to their wealthier peers.

关 键 词：education program evaluation rural China tuition relief program 

分 类 号：G637[文化科学—教育学]