Mobilization and irregularity: volatile growth of educational expenditure in China

Social policy scholars often take the view that welfare states can be classified into different types based on distinct political philosophies and stable institutional features. However, it is a challenge to fit China squarely into any existing taxonomy. Using the volatile growth of educational expenditure in recent years as an example, this paper contends that China’s social policy in general, educational policy, in particular, has not evolved into a stable model. Much of the irregularity stems from the tension between centralized mandates and decentralized financing, often leading to underfunded social programs. In response, the central government relies on top-down mobilization to achieve unfunded or underfunded policy mandates. Mobilization, however, cannot last long as it stresses and strains local governments. The alternation between mobilization and post-mobilization accounts for the great irregularity in educational financing and poses a serious challenge for China’s welfare state building. There is a need to replace mobilization with a more regularized, sustainable and equitable financing mechanism for education and other social programs.