Educational Expansion, College Premium and Social Mobility: A Comparative Study of Hong Kong and Taiwan Youth

Professor Xu, Duoduo   (Principal Investigator (PI))

36

2022-01-01

2024-12-31

610312

Educational Expansion, College Premium and Social Mobility: A Comparative Study of Hong Kong and Taiwan Youth

college premium, educational expansion, Hong Kong and Taiwan, social mobility, Youth

SociologyEducation: Policy & Administration

Humanities & Social Sciences (H)

27604821

Early Career Scheme (ECS)

2021

Completed

1 The first analytical objective is to examine the college premium in first job socioeconomic status in Hong Kong and Taiwan based on analysis of the data from the Hong Kong Panel Study of Social Dynamics (HKPSSD) and Taiwan’s Panel Study of Family Dynamics (PSFD). Using conventional logit models, we will explore the inter-cohort difference in the relative probability of converting a college education into a middle-class (i.e., professional or managerial) occupation when people first enter the labor force, and investigate the potential influence of the college expansion on younger cohorts. 2 The second analytical objective is to examine the college premium in wages in Hong Kong and Taiwan based on analysis of the data from multiple waves of the HK census/by-census and the Taiwan Social Change Survey (TSCS). Using a hierarchical age-period-cohort (APC) model, we will be able to disentangle the cohort effect from the age and period effects. We will examine the temporal change in the college-high school wage gap by age group, and investigate the potential influence of college expansion on younger workers. 3 The third analytical objective is to examine the college premium in intergenerational mobility among young people (aged 20–29) in Hong Kong based on analysis of data from the HK census/by-census and the TSCS. Using rank-rank regression models, we will be able to capture the level of social fluidity in a way that is independent of cohort-specific occupational structure. We will examine the real change in circulation mobility in terms of occupational socioeconomic status (SEI) among young college graduates and non-college graduates, and investigate the potential influence of the college expansion on the upward mobility chances of young people, especially those from low-socioeconomic status (SES) families. 4 The last analytical objective is to conduct a comparative study of the roles of macro-level factors that shape the diversity in college expansion processes and outcomes in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Both of these Chinese societies have been transforming their higher education system from elite to massive ones within a short period of time, but exhibit substantial heterogeneity in terms of their admission process, higher education governance and expansion strategies.