摘要
在1980和1990年代，中国是世界教育领域分权改革的重要组成部分。主流研究当时都强调“低重心”、多渠道的教育经费体制的内在合理性，强调分权化是难以逆转的趋势。可是从2001年开始，中国调整了农村义务教育管理体制。我们通过实证分析发现，这一改革不再是分权化改革的延续和完善，而是重新确立政府责任的一种尝试。它既导致了教育投入的快速增长，也在相当程度上促进了教育公平，尤其是在小学教育阶段。这为世界教育改革提供了有益经验，也为主流研究的一系列命题和假设提供了反思的机会。
In the 1980s and 1990s, China was an important part of the worldwide decentralization of education. Mainstream research at the time highlighted the inherent rationality of a ＂low center of gravity＂ and multiple sources of educational funding and stressed decentralization as an irreversible trend. Since 2001, however, China has readjusted its system of administration of rural compulsory education. Our empirical analysis suggests that this reform is not an extension and refinement of the previous decentralization reform; rather, it represents a renewed effort to reestablish government responsibility for compulsory education. The 200t reform has led to a rapid increase in government investment in education and a considerable improvement in educational equity, especially in primary education. It therefore provides not just a valuable reference for educational reform around the world, but also an opportunity to reflect upon a series of propositions and assumptions in mainstream research.
