Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP10004
Authors: Davide Cantoni; Yuyu Chen; David Y. Yang; Noam Yuchtman; Y. Jane Zhang
Abstract: We study the causal effect of school curricula on students' stated beliefs and attitudes. We exploit a major textbook reform in China that was rolled out between 2004 and 2010 with the explicit intention of shaping youths' ideology. To measure its effect, we present evidence from a novel survey we conducted among 2000 students at Peking University. The sharp, staggered introduction of the new curriculum across provinces allows us to identify the effects of the new educational content in a generalized difference in differences framework. We examine government documents articulating desired consequences of the reform, and identify changes in textbook content and college entrance exams that reflect the government's aims. These changes were often effective: study under the new curriculum is robustly associated with changed views on political participation and democracy in China, increased trust in government officials, and a more skeptical view of free markets.
Keywords: beliefs; China; ideology; indoctrination; schooling; curricula
JEL Codes: I21; I28; P36
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| New curriculum introduction (Y20) | Changes in students' political beliefs and attitudes (D72) |
| Exposure to new curriculum (A21) | More likely to view China's political system as democratic (P19) |
| Exposure to new curriculum (A21) | Increased trust in government officials (H12) |
| Exposure to new curriculum (A21) | More skeptical view of free market economies (P19) |
| New curriculum introduction (Y20) | No significant changes in attitudes toward minorities (J15) |
| New curriculum introduction (Y20) | No significant changes in preferences for environmental protection (F64) |