师范教育与经济发展:来自近代中国的证据

The Effect of Normal Education on Economic Development:Evidence from Modern China

基于清末中国发展师范教育的历史情境,可实证分析师范教育对经济发展的影响。利用师范教育在时间和地区上的双重差异构建识别策略,研究发现:(1)与师范教育诞生之前相比,师范教育发展更加迅速地区相比师范教育发展较为迟缓地区经历了更快的人口增长,说明清末师范教育促进了近代中国的经济发展;(2)师范教育的积极作用在初始经济状况较差地区更加突出,意味着师范教育具有促进地区经济收敛的潜力;(3)师范教育促进经济发展的主要路径是为新式小学提供师资。本研究首次分析了师范教育与经济发展之间的关系,体现了新近经济学研究对不同教育的经济贡献差异的关注,结论也对教育基础薄弱国家的教育和经济发展具有一定政策参考价值。

Based on the historical situation of the development of normal education in China in the late Qing Dynasty, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of normal education on economic development.Using the dual differences of teacher education in time and region to construct an identification strategy,this study found that compared with before the birth of normal education, areas with more rapid development of normal education experienced faster population growth than areas with slower development of normal education, indicating that normal education in the late Qing Dynasty promoted the economic development of modern China;moreover, the positive role of normal education was more prominent in areas with poor initial economic conditions, which meant that normal education had the potential to promote regional economic convergence;in addition, the main path for normal education to promote economic development is to provide teachers for modern elementary schools. This study is the first to analyze the relationship between normal education and economic development, which reflects the recent economic research’s attention to the difference in the economic contribution of different education. The conclusion also has certain policy reference value for education and economic development in countries with weak educational foundations.