Does Free Compulsory Education Matter for the Green Transformation of Agriculture? Evidence from Rural China

Junxu Zhou, Yajun Chang (), Rong Peng, Zijun Liu, Hang Luo and Min Ji
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Junxu Zhou: School of Public Policy and Management, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Yajun Chang: School of Public Policy and Management, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Rong Peng: School of Public Policy and Management, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Zijun Liu: School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Hang Luo: School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Min Ji: School of Public Policy and Management, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: Education plays a crucial role in promoting green development by shaping environmentally friendly production behaviors and fostering low-carbon lifestyles. This research examines the impact of China’s free compulsory education (FCE) policy on agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) using provincial panel data from 2002 to 2015. Additionally, it explores the impact mechanisms and regional heterogeneity. The results indicate that first, the FCE policy has a significantly positive effect on AGTFP, as confirmed through a series of robustness tests. Second, the FCE policy primarily influences AGTFP by increasing farmers’ awareness of green production and promoting the development of green technologies in agriculture. Third, the impact of the FCE policy varies across regions. It promotes green technologies in agriculture in developed provinces and fosters ecological awareness among farmers in less developed provinces. These findings offer valuable empirical evidence and policy implications for implementing education popularization projects and reducing agricultural carbon emissions in developing countries.

Keywords: free compulsory education; agricultural green total factor productivity; quasi-difference-in-difference model; ecological awareness; green technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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