From Connections to Merit: Anti-Corruption Reform and Occupational Mobility in China's Civil Service

Greer Ang, Yu Qin, Ya Tan and Fan Zhang

The Economic Journal, 2025, vol. 135, issue 670, 1852-1890

Abstract: In China, employment in the civil service is perceived as a primary path to leadership roles in government. This paper examines the role of family background in shaping the choice to enter the civil service and investigates the impact of the 2012 anti-corruption campaign on this process. We find that college graduates with cadre parents are more likely to work as a civil servant. However, using a difference-in-differences approach, we show an 18% decline in this occupational persistence post-campaign. Evidence suggests that reduced use of parental social networks may drive this change. Furthermore, the campaign appears to have improved civil servants’ quality.

Date: 2025
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