The Paradox of Educational Fairness in China

Wanhua Peng, Xiaobin Peng and Kaiping Peng
Additional contact information
Xiaobin Peng: Office of Informatization, Peking University
Kaiping Peng: Department of Psychology, University of California

Annals of Economics and Finance, 2009, vol. 10, issue 1, 199-213

Abstract: Neoclassical economics is founded on a narrow notion of the rational human being, with self-interest and material well-being as the basis of judgment and decision making. This stands in stark contrast to long held views, in philosophy and psychology, that maintain that human reason is motivated in part by emotions and, in particular, by social comparison. The social psychologist Festinger found that much judgment and decision making are the results of social comparison which may or may not reflect the actual reality of individuals. We tested Festinger¡¯s notion in Chinese cultural contexts by investigating public discussions of educational fairness. We found that while educational spending has been increasing steadily, sentiments about educational fairness have been deteriorating. Time series analysis shows that these phenomena were not due to price inflation, availability of opinion outlets, or regional difference, but to the psychological process of social comparison. The implications of such a paradox are discussed.

Keywords: Educational spending; Educational fairness; Social comparison; Paradox (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E62 H41 J78 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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