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Education fever: inequality, fertility, and growth, with application to China

MARK GRADSTEIN

Journal of Population Economics2026https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-026-01154-2article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Demand for skilled labor and social status accorded by educational achievements induce a race to acquire education, dubbed “education fever.” In conjunction with credit market constraints and in the context of quantity-quality tradeoff, this, in turn, may reduce fertility, especially in well-educated families, and create cross-sectional inequality while limiting intergenerational mobility. The resulting inequality is persistent, which, in turn, may have adverse implications for economic growth. I argue that these phenomena are consistent with recent economic and social developments in China.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-026-01154-2

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@article{mark2026,
  title        = {{Education fever: inequality, fertility, and growth, with application to China}},
  author       = {MARK GRADSTEIN},
  journal      = {Journal of Population Economics},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-026-01154-2},
}

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Education fever: inequality, fertility, and growth, with application to China

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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