“参与促进”还是“参与悖论”?——教育的公众参与效应研究

“Participation Promotion”or“Participation Paradox”?:Research on the Public Participation Effect of Education

教育是影响公众参与的重要因素,但目前学术界存在“参与促进”和“参与悖论”两种争议。为有效检视教育与公众参与的关系,本文利用CSS2017微观调查数据,全面探讨教育对公众选举参与、政策参与、自治参与和维权参与的影响,并从“经济资本”和“政-社感知”两个维度检验内在机制。研究发现:教育对公众参与具有显著的正向影响,且教育对公众自治参与的影响效应最大,对维权参与的影响效应最小;从“经济资本”的维度看,教育可以改善公众的收入状况、工作状况和生活状况,进而间接影响公众参与;从“政-社感知”的维度看,教育对公众政治信任感知具有显著正效应,对政府工作、社会公平和社会安全感知具有显著负效应,但“政-社感知”对公众参与的影响存在不确定性;“经济资本”和“政-社感知”在教育对公众政策参与影响中的中介效应最大,在教育对公众维权参与影响中的中介效应最小。研究还发现,受教育年限对公众选举参与和自治参与具有显著的正U形影响,“经济资本”比“政-社感知”在教育与公众参与中的作用机制更有效,两种机制之间存在相互抑制关系。本研究为教育和公众参与理论及实践提供了有益启示。

Education is an important factor that affects public participation,but there are two disputes in academic circles:“participation promotion”and“participation paradox”.In order to effectively examine the relationship between education and public participation,this article uses CSS2017 micro-survey data to comprehensively explore the impact of education on election participation,policy participation,autonomous participation,and participation in rights protection.Then,the internal mechanism is examined from two dimensions of“economic capital”and“political-social perception”.The research results show that:education has a significant positive effect on public participation,and education has the largest effect on public autonomy participation,and the smallest effect on public rights participation;From the perspective of“economic capital”,education can improve public income,work and living conditions,and indirectly affect public participation;From the perspective of“political-social perception”,education has a significant positive effect on public perception of political trust and a significant negative effect on government work,social justice and social security perception,but the influence of political-social perception on public participation is uncertain;“Economic capital”and“political-social perception”have the greatest mediating effect in the influence of education on public policy participation,and the mediating effect of education on participation in rights protection is the smallest.The study also found that years of education has a significant positive U-shaped effect on public election participation and autonomous participation.The mechanism of“economic capital”is more effective than“political-social perception”in education and public participation,and there is mutual inhibition between the two mechanisms.This research provides useful implications for the theory and practice of education and public participation.