宗族对农村人力资本投资的影响分析

The Clan and Human Capital Investment in Rural China:An Empirical Study

本文利用CFPS2014微观数据研究了宗族对农村人力资本投资的影响。研究结果表明,宗族能够促进农村人力资本投资,平均而言,宗族使农村个人受教育年限提高约1.3年。考虑到宗族文化强调延续家族香火的重要性,宗族对人力资本投资的影响效应也表现出明显的"重男轻女"差异。在相同条件下,宗族使得男性人均受教育年限提高约1.6年,而对女性受教育年限的影响不显著。在考虑了可能存在的内生性问题之后,本文使用历史上的宗族力量作为工具变量进行回归,结果表明,宗族对个人受教育年限的影响是稳健的。本文进一步分析指出,宗族通过强化家庭教育观念、影响社会关系网络以及改善村级公共物品供给三个途径提高了个人的人力资本投资水平。

This article uses data from CFPS 2014 and analyzes the impact of the clan on the human capital investment in rural China. The results show that the clan has a significant positive impact on the human capital investment in rural areas. The average years of schooling per capita is about 1.3 years higher in the villages where the power of clan is stronger. This result is significantly correlated with a clan culture with a preference for sons. All things being equal, the average schooling years of male villagers is about 1.6 years higher in the villages where the power of clan is stronger. But such positive impact appears insignificant in the female sample. In order to control the potential endogenous problem, the study undertakes a regression analysis using the variable of clan in history as an instrumental variable. The results still are robust. Finally, the study shows how the clan can influence the investment level in human capital through three potential channels, namely, family education concept, social relationship and public goods provision in villages.