题目：Unintended Consequences of China’s Double Reduction Policy: Its Immediate and Intergenerational Impacts

主讲人：赵国昌，西南财经大学

时间：2025年3月27日（星期四）下午13:30-15:00

地点：暨南大学（石牌校区）中惠楼106会议室

主讲人简介:

赵国昌，澳大利亚国立大学经济学博士，西南财经大学经济学教授。主要研究领域包括生育、教育、养老、与劳动就业，在《经济研究》《经济学(季刊)》、《世界经济》、《金融研究》、《人口研究》、《统计研究》、Journal of Development Economics、Scandinavian Journal of Economics、Labour Economics、China Economics Review、China Quarterly等国内外知名期刊发表文章40余篇。

Abstract:

Like many East Asian societies, Chinese households increasingly are facing fierce competition in the education market. Students spend longer hours either at school or on homework, household spending on private tutoring has skyrocketed, while mental and physical health issues among teenagers have become more prevalent. To address this growing concern, in July 2021, the Chinese government launched the “Double Reduction” (DR) policy, aimed at reducing both students’ excessive school homework burden and after-school private tutoring. Using a tailored household survey, a constructed policy enforcement index, and a difference-in-differences strategy, this paper evaluates the policy’s impact. We find that the policy’s effects run counter to its goals. On average, it increases children’s private tutoring enrolment, raises household tutoring expenses, and boosts the time parents spend on schoolwork. Moreover, these effects are not evenly distributed: children from low-income households suffer the most, as higher tutoring costs reduce their private tutoring participation and lead to poorer academic performance.