Working Paper: NBER ID: w20112
Authors: Davide Cantoni; Yuyu Chen; David Y. Yang; Noam Yuchtman; 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: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I20; P00
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| New Curriculum (A23) | Likelihood of viewing China's political system as democratic (P30) |
| New Curriculum (A23) | Trust in government officials (D73) |
| New Curriculum (A23) | Favorable views on political participation and democracy (D72) |
| New Curriculum (A23) | Shift in attitudes towards government's legitimacy (H11) |
| New Curriculum (A23) | Skepticism towards free market economics (P19) |
| New Curriculum (A23) | Rejection of market economy preference (P26) |
| New Curriculum (A23) | No significant changes in attitudes toward environmental policies (Q58) |
| New Curriculum (A23) | No significant changes in attitudes toward minority groups (J15) |