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More than a degree: China’s college expansion and the marriage market

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  • Fang, Ming
  • Luo, Sai

Abstract

Higher education in China has expanded radically since 1999. Exploiting variations across cohorts and regions , our analysis shows that the expansion increased the marriage probability of college-educated women and men. The expansion also increased assortative matching by education and reduced the marriage age gap. Both empirical and theoretical analyses suggest that these effects are driven by reductions in search frictions within the local marriage market created by colleges and facilitated by the expansion. Our findings suggest the potential role of higher education institutions in shaping the marriage market by facilitating the search and matching process.

Suggested Citation

  • Fang, Ming & Luo, Sai, 2026. "More than a degree: China’s college expansion and the marriage market," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 709-731.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcecon:v:54:y:2026:i:3:p:709-731
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2026.03.007
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education

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