UNEVEN EDUCATION INVESTMENT: FISCAL DRIVERS IN URBAN AND RURAL CHINA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v7i3.1191Keywords:
compulsory education, education inequality, urban China, rural ChinaAbstract
This study conducts a systematic literature review to explore how fiscal input disparities contribute to the uneven development of compulsory education across urban and rural regions in China. While existing research frequently discusses educational inequality in general terms, few studies specifically address the underlying financial mechanisms, including fiscal decentralization, local revenue capacity, and intergovernmental transfer payments; that shape regional differences in educational funding. This review analyzes 48 peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2025 and establishes the main fiscal drivers of investment imbalances. It determines the influence of such differences on infrastructure, teacher quality, and student services across regions. The research further determines the impact of existing policy intervention towards equalizing education spending and establishes main gaps in the existing literature. Findings underscore the importance of more targeted fiscal policies and more robust oversight mechanisms to ensure efficient and equitable allocation of resources, particularly in underfunded rural counties. This study adds to a more targeted understanding of how finance frameworks shape education outcomes and provides suggestions for policy and future research toward mitigating urban-rural education disparities in China.
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