Inclusive education and institutionalized political participation
Evidence from China’s ‘Two Exemptions and One Subsidy‘ reform
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12911330 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chen Zhang (0000-0002-1923-2771, Huangshan University), Yan Peng (0000-0003-3670-7916, Huazhong Agricultural University), Y B Peng (Huazhong Agricultural University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-22 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Asian Public Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1751-6242 • E-ISSN: 1751-6234 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17516234.2025.2609764 |
| OpenAlex | W7118195869 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
Political inclusion of disadvantaged groups is vital for sustainable development, yet most empirical evidence on the education-participation nexus comes from democratic contexts, with limited understanding of how this relationship operates in alternative political systems. This paper evaluates the long-term impact of China’s ‘Two Exemptions and One Subsidy’ reform on institutionalized political participation, focusing on urban-rural disparities. Using a cohort difference-in-differences design and Chinese General Social Survey data, we find that the reform significantly narrowed the rural-urban gap in the likelihood of joining the Chinese Communist Party and labour unions, but had no significant effect on the grassroots voting. Mechanism analysis indicates that education acted as a sorting mechanism: by raising years of schooling and personal income, the reform improved rural residents’ access to political resources. The effect of the reform on the Party membership was more pronounced in economically disadvantaged regions. These findings extend existing models of political participation to state-led systems and show how inclusive education can reduce political inequality beyond captivating political literacy.
Education reform · Higher education · Inclusion (mineral · Politics · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · School Choice and Performance
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |