Exposure to Socially Influential Peer Parents: Evidence from Cadre Parents in China

Liwen Chen (), Bobby Chung () and Guanghua Wang ()
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Liwen Chen: East China Normal University
Bobby Chung: St Bonaventure University
Guanghua Wang: Nanjing Audit University

No 2021-052, Working Papers from Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group

Abstract: Parents with a special social status generate spillover to children of others. This paper studies the effect of socially influential peer parents on students. Utilizing random classroom assignments of middle schools in China, we explore the effect of parents who are cadres (government officials) on the educational outcome of their children's classmates. Because cadres in China have a broad local influence on resource allocation, their presence elicits responses from surrounding parents and students. We find that increased exposure to peer parents who are cadres raises a student's test score. We find suggestive evidence that changes in parental behaviors as plausible channels. Cadre spillover is stronger in rural areas and schools with more government support, consistent with the variation in the local influence of cadres.

Keywords: cadres; peer effects; parental investments; peer parent; early-life development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 I25 J62 O53 P36 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-net and nep-ure
Note: ECI
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http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/Chen_C ... ial-peer-parents.pdf First version, November, 2021 (application/pdf)
http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/Chen_C ... -peer-parents_r1.pdf Second version, August 28, 2022 (application/pdf)

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