教育是中国社会的“平等器”吗？———基于CHNS数据的实证分析

Is Education Equalizing China's Society? An Empirical Analysis Based on CHNS Data

应用中国健康与营养调查数据，通过建立回归模型和路径分析模型，研究了中国转型过程中学校教育和经济不平等的代际流动之间的关系。实证结果发现，学校教育在发挥消除出身差异、促进经济平等方面的作用很小；其作用主要表现为父母向子女转换其经济、教育以及户籍等优势的中介作用，并且这一表现在中国的转型过程中趋于加强。这是教育的经济回报上升和教育机会均等情况恶化共同作用的结果。因此，要避免学校教育成为固化经济不平等的循环路径，应当促进教育机会均等。

This study explores the relationship between schooling and intergenerational income inequality in the transition process of China， applying methods of regression modeling and path analysis with China Health Nutrition Survey's data. The result shows that schooling has little impact on enhancing economic equality， but rather functions as intermediary path to transforming parental resources into economic advantages of their children， which is becoming increasingly salient in the transition process of China. The reason lies in the enhancement of economic returns to schooling and the degradation of equality of educational opportunity. In case that schooling functions as circular path to solidifying economic inequality， we need to enhance the equality of educational opportunity.