Do allocations of education resources affect individuals’ long-term cognitive abilities? Evidence from China
38 Pages Posted: 16 Mar 2022
Date Written: January 14, 2022
Abstract
Education resources allocation is crucial to national development. This study examines the causal effects of largely exogenous school closing and merging on individuals’ long-term cognitive abilities. In China, to improve the overall level of primary education, remote village schools and teaching points were closed and merged into centralized town or county schools following an unexpected policy starting in 2001. Using variations in the policy intensities across provinces and over cohorts, we find that school closing and merging substantially enhances long-term cognitive abilities, and individuals living in areas with scarce education resources and individuals with better family backgrounds reap more benefits from the improvement of the learning environment.
Keywords: cognitive ability, school closing and merging, education resources, China
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