Legacies of Vietnam's imperial examinations, 1075–1919: More investment in education and better educational outcomes

•In Vietnam, the descendants of the successful takers of imperial exams have had higher educational attainment.•Household investment in education is higher among the descendants of Vietnamese who passed imperial exams.•Human capital investment persists in Vietnamese culture via informal institutions...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of Comparative Economics Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 2 - 14
Main Authors Vu, Tien Manh, Yamada, Hiroyuki
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Inc 01.03.2023
Subjects
Education
Historical legacy
Human capital
Imperial examination
Vietnam
N35
Vietnam
O15
Human capital
Education
Historical legacy
Z1
Imperial examination
I25
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Summary:•In Vietnam, the descendants of the successful takers of imperial exams have had higher educational attainment.•Household investment in education is higher among the descendants of Vietnamese who passed imperial exams.•Human capital investment persists in Vietnamese culture via informal institutions. This study measures the impact of the number of people who passed the Vietnamese imperial examinations (1075–1919) on the present-day quantity and quality of education in their home districts. Our analyses at the district and individual levels are based mainly on the data of successful imperial test takers, the 2009 population census, and 2009 National Entrance Exams to University test scores. We find a persistent legacy in educational attainment outcomes. Although there may be multiple channels that explain the long-term historical effects, a tradition of human capital investment and cultural elements are among the most important factors.
ISSN:0147-5967
1095-7227
DOI:10.1016/j.jce.2022.09.004