IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/chieco/v74y2022ics1043951x22000712.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Higher education expansion and the rise of China in economics research

Author

Listed:
  • Piracha, Matloob
  • Tani, Massimiliano
  • Zimmermann, Klaus F.
  • Zhang, Yu

Abstract

China has seen a massive higher education expansion, which the literature has dated to the 1999–2008 period with quantitative and qualitative outcomes. However, the consequences for the publication success of Chinese authors worldwide are not well studied. We review the respective Chinese higher education policies and document the dramatic rise in publication success, with a focus on the field of Economics. A substantial set of regressions and robustness checks confirm the understanding that the higher education expansion has indeed let to a substantial worldwide rise in scientific publications in refereed economics journals fueled by the general incentives of the reform, through research collaborations and other quality improving factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Piracha, Matloob & Tani, Massimiliano & Zimmermann, Klaus F. & Zhang, Yu, 2022. "Higher education expansion and the rise of China in economics research," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:74:y:2022:i:c:s1043951x22000712
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2022.101813
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043951X22000712
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.chieco.2022.101813?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Guo, Yumei & Song, Yang & Chen, Qianmiao, 2019. "Impacts of education policies on intergenerational education mobility in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 124-142.
    2. Xu, Xin, 2021. "A policy trajectory analysis of the internationalisation of Chinese humanities and social sciences research (1978–2020)," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    3. Li, Hongbin & Ma, Yueyuan & Meng, Lingsheng & Qiao, Xue & Shi, Xinzheng, 2017. "Skill complementarities and returns to higher education: Evidence from college enrollment expansion in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 10-26.
    4. Meng, Xin & Shen, Kailing & Xue, Sen, 2013. "Economic reform, education expansion, and earnings inequality for urban males in China, 1988–2009," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 227-244.
    5. Ana Rute Cardoso & Paulo Guimarães & Klaus F. Zimmermann, 2010. "Trends in Economic Research: An International Perspective," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(4), pages 479-494, November.
    6. Emily Oster, 2019. "Unobservable Selection and Coefficient Stability: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(2), pages 187-204, April.
    7. Huang, Bin & Zhu, Yu, 2020. "Higher Education Expansion, the Hukou System, and Returns to Education in China," IZA Discussion Papers 12954, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Rolf Ketzler & Klaus F. Zimmermann, 2013. "A citation-analysis of economic research institutes," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 95(3), pages 1095-1112, June.
    9. repec:wyi:journl:002165 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Mok, Ka Ho & Marginson, Simon, 2021. "Massification, diversification and internationalisation of higher education in China: Critical reflections of developments in the last two decades," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    11. Rolf Ketzler & Klaus F. Zimmermann, 2009. "Publications: German economic research institutes on track," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 80(1), pages 231-252, July.
    12. Yang, Lijun, 2018. "Higher education expansion and post-college unemployment: Understanding the roles of fields of study in China," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 62-74.
    13. Tommaso Colussi, 2018. "Social Ties in Academia: A Friend Is a Treasure," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 100(1), pages 45-50, March.
    14. Xing, Chunbing & Yang, Peng & Li, Zhilong, 2018. "The medium-run effect of China's higher education expansion on the unemployment of college graduates," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 181-193.
    15. Marginson, Simon, 2021. "National modernisation and global science in China," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    16. Qingnan Xie & Richard B. Freeman, 2018. "Bigger Than You Thought: China's Contribution to Scientific Publications," NBER Working Papers 24829, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Li, Shi & Whalley, John & Xing, Chunbing, 2014. "China's higher education expansion and unemployment of college graduates," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 567-582.
    18. Chan, Wing Kit & Zhang, Jiayu, 2021. "Can university qualification promote social mobility? A review of higher education expansion and graduate employment in China," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hussinger, Katrin & Palladini, Lorenzo, 2024. "Information accessibility and knowledge creation: The impact of Google's withdrawal from China on scientific research," ZEW Discussion Papers 24-010, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Duan, Yide & Zhang, Haotian & Wang, Wenfu & Ao, Xiaoyan, 2022. "The effects of China's higher education expansion on urban and rural intergenerational mobility," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Wang, Haining & Cheng, Zhiming & Smyth, Russell & Sun, Gong & Li, Jie & Wang, Wangshuai, 2022. "University education, homeownership and housing wealth," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    3. Chen, Yuanyuan & Wang, Haining & Cheng, Zhiming & Smyth, Russell, 2023. "Education and Migrant Health in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    4. Hu, Chenxu & Bollinger, Christopher, 2021. "Effects of cohort size on college premium: Evidence from China's higher education expansion," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    5. Huang, Bin & Tani, Massimiliano & Wei, Yi & Zhu, Yu, 2022. "Returns to education in China: Evidence from the great higher education expansion," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    6. Huang, Bin & Zhu, Yu, 2020. "Higher Education Expansion, the Hukou System, and Returns to Education in China," IZA Discussion Papers 12954, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Hao, Zedong & Wang, Yun, 2022. "Education signaling, effort investments, and the market's expectations: Theory and experiment on China's higher education expansion," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    8. Fengyan Dai & Fang Cai & Yu Zhu, 2022. "Returns to higher education in China – evidence from the 1999 higher education expansion using a fuzzy regression discontinuity," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(6), pages 489-494, March.
    9. Wang, Chuhong & Liu, Xingfei & Yan, Zizhong & Zhao, Yi, 2022. "Higher education expansion and crime: New evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    10. Dongshu Ou & Zhong Zhao, 2022. "Higher Education Expansion in China, 1999–2003: Impact on Graduate Employability," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 30(2), pages 117-141, March.
    11. Feng, Shuaizhang & Xia, Xiaoyu, 2022. "Heterogeneous firm responses to increases in high-skilled workers: Evidence from China's college enrollment expansion," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    12. Liu, Xingfei & Wang, Chuhong & Yan, Zizhong & Zhao, Yi, 2022. "Higher Education Expansion and Crime: New Evidence from China," Working Papers 2022-2, University of Alberta, Department of Economics.
    13. Asadullah, M. Niaz & Xiao, Saizi, 2020. "The changing pattern of wage returns to education in post-reform China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 137-148.
    14. Kong, Dongmin & Zhang, Bohui & Zhang, Jian, 2022. "Higher education and corporate innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    15. Shuaizhang Feng & Gaojie Tang, 2019. "Accounting For Urban China'S Rising Income Inequality: The Roles Of Labor Market, Human Capital, And Marriage Market Factors," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 57(2), pages 997-1015, April.
    16. Huang, Bin & Tani, Massimiliano & Zhu, Yu, 2021. "Does higher education make you more entrepreneurial? Causal evidence from China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 543-558.
    17. Wang, Haining & Cheng, Zhiming & Smyth, Russell, 2022. "Parental misbeliefs and household investment in children's education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    18. Chen, Jie & Pastore, Francesco, 2021. "Does vocational education pay better, or worse, than academic education?," GLO Discussion Paper Series 858, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    19. Somani, Ravi, 2021. "The returns to higher education and public employment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    20. Klaus F. Zimmermann, 2011. "Evidenzbasierte Politikberatung," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 80(1), pages 23-33.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Education; University reforms; Economic research; Publications; Citations; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:74:y:2022:i:c:s1043951x22000712. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/chieco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.