Policy adequacy, inclusion, and commitment: Impact of Household Expenditure in Education in China

Abstract

Globally, labor migration is an essential component of the 21st century. Much of the existing research on the consequences of labor migration on the family has focused primarily on the economic consequences while the consequences for social protection have received less attention. Within in China, the Hukou household registration system, based on place of residence and administered by local municipalities, continues to be the primary mechanism through which people are eligible for government-subsidized social protection programs including public education. Decades of widespread ‘temporary’ migration of working-age population into urban centers are disrupting this place-based eligibility system of resource allocation. This current study examines the intersectionality of education policy and migration and the impacts on household educational expenditure. This paper explores the relationship between the policy environment, education and social inclusion using a cohort of children (aged 6 to 16 in 2010) from the China Family Panel Study (CFPS) combined with secondary data collected from the China Statistical Yearbooks. The multilevel modeling suggested that low commitment (higher teacher-student ration) is negatively associated with household expenditure in education. The community migrant population explain variability in educational expenditure across migrant and local resident households. The implication for educational inclusion and equity are discussed.