Long Live Keju! The Persistent Effects of China’s Civil Examination System

Ting Chen, James Kai-sing Kung and Chicheng Ma

The Economic Journal, 2020, vol. 130, issue 631, 2030-2064

Abstract: China's civil examination system (keju), an incredibly long-lived institution, has a persistent impact on human capital outcomes today. Using the variation in the density of jinshi—the highest qualification—across 278 Chinese prefectures in the Ming-Qing period (c. 1368–1905) to proxy for this effect, we find that a doubling of jinshi per 10,000 population leads to an 8.5% increase in years of schooling in 2010. The persistent effect of keju can be attributed to a multitude of channels including cultural transmission, educational infrastructure, social capital and, to a lesser extent, political elites.

Date: 2020
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