Equity Planning in China, Focusing on Education
Xiao Tan, Ziyu Zhao
Since 2021, China has pushed “common prosperity” as the new priority for development, to reduce the income gap, rebalance regional development, and equalize basic services. The Chinese Central Government set out a timeline for achieving equal access to basic public services by 2035, in the areas of education, health care, elderly care, and other services. There is a huge disparity in the supply of basic services between urban and rural communities. This project reviews the history of Chinese basic education services and identifies what factors caused the disparity historically, including differences in the tax system, shortage of transfer payments and differences in rural and urban citizenship (Hukou). What solutions have been taken by central and local governments to address this inequity between urban and rural? Policy initiatives focus on increasing the transfer payment quota from central government, improving resource sharing between rural and urban schools, and increasing educational access to rural migrant children in urban areas. By adjusting fiscal distribution and equalizing teaching quality, planners can help promote educational equity in China.
Tan, X. & Zhao, Z. (2022). Equity Planning in China, Focusing on Education. Department of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University. Full Report. Issue Brief.
See Video and Slides of students' presentation at the 2022 APA Virtual National Conference
