Inequality and access to elite universities in China: reexamining the interacting multiple capitals model

Abstract

Using the first wave data from the Beijing College Students Panel Survey, this study provides an alternative explanation of the effect of social status on access to elite universities in China. We modify and extend the interacting multiple capitals model to identify the interactive effects of cultural, social, and economic capital and the educational transition from high school on access to elite universities. The results of mediation analysis show that social capital and studying in quality high schools function as important mechanisms for elite university entry. These findings underline the important role of social capital and the cumulative advantages of high school in the reproduction of inequality.