Social Opportunity Function and Equity in Opportunity in China

This chapter uses a social opportunity function to analyze equity in opportunity in China. It traces the inequity of opportunity in education, especially the role circumstances play in educational attainment. We find a narrowing inequity in compulsory education between urban and rural areas; however, inequity in education in the high school age group still exists and remains large, especially in rural western areas. The results shed light on the importance of the regional circumstances in inequality in opportunity and suggest that more public investment in human capital will be needed in rural areas, especially Western China.