The Impact of China's College Enrollment Expansion on the Inter-Generational Mobility of Children from Lower-Income Families: Take a Example of the Western Region

This study is based on data from the China General Social Survey (CGSS) and government educational investment,this research discusses the impact of the policy of expanding college enrollment on the inter generational mobility of children from poor families in underdeveloped areas. Some researches has found that since the restoration of the college entrance examination system in 1978,it has indeed provided a channel for upward mobility for some children from low-income families.However, with the implementation of the policy of expanding college enrollment in 1999, the number of people with higher education has increased dramatically,which has led to the phenomenon of "depreciation of academic qualifications" in the job market, and caused social problems such as "difficulty in finding employment" and fever in taking civil service of exams. Although the policy of expanding college enrollment has promoted the absolute inter generational mobility of children from low-income families to a certain extent economically underdeveloped regions such as the western region in China. But the relative inter generational mobility effect is limited, and the beneficiary group is still a minority. After further research, found that factors such as uneven allocation of educational resources, differences in family backgrounds, and unbalanced regional development have significantly restricted the full implementation of policy effects. Therefore,these findings provide empirical basis for optimizing education policies and promoting educational equity.