Can Education Block The Intergenerational Transmission Of Relative Poverty

The intergenerational transmission of poverty is an extreme form of long-term poverty,which is a major challenge that can’t be ignored in the cause of poverty reduction.Under the background of China’s total elimination of absolute poverty,it is difficult but important to establish a long-term mechanism to solve relative poverty and block the intergenerational transmission of relative poverty.Based on the data of China Comprehensive Social Survey(CGSS)and China Statistical Yearbook,this paper explores the causal relationship of education in blocking the intergenerational transmission of relative poverty by using the "quasi natural experiment" opportunity provided by the promulgation of China’s compulsory education law in 1986.The results show that:(1)education has a significant blocking effect on the intergenerational transmission of relative poverty,and has a strong robustness.(2)Compared with women,education has a stronger effect on the intergenerational transmission of men out of relative poverty,but there is no significant difference between urban and rural individuals.(3)With the deepening of relative poverty,the role of education in helping children get rid of relative poverty is weakening.(4)Mechanism research shows that high school enrollment,labor market performance and efforts are the three paths for education to block the intergenerational transmission of relative poverty.In the short run,due to the compulsory education law enforcement,it can improve the probability of individual high school enrollment,which helps to accumulate human capital to get rid of the intergenerational transmission of relative poverty.In the medium and long term,on the one hand,the improvement of education level brought by the implementation of the compulsory education law can enhance the knowledge and skills of the children of relatively poor families,improve their labor market performance,so as to get rid of the intergenerational transmission of relative poverty.On the other hand,the children of relatively poor families who are affected by the compulsory education law will be more willing to make efforts to get rid of the shackles of poverty culture and the intergenerational transmission of relative poverty.To sum up,education has a significant blocking effect on the intergenerational transmission of relative poverty.Therefore,for the government,it should continue to vigorously develop basic education,improve the inclusiveness and fairness of basic education,which is conducive to alleviating the intergenerational transmission of relative poverty,and provide sufficient endogenous power for economic growth;for families,it is necessary to carefully measure the short-term benefits of sub generation work,consider the long-term return of basic education investment from a long-term perspective,and make reasonable decisions education investment decision.