I have often expressed the opinion that the major value of an Ivy League education is the network of connections students develop, as opposed to a (fictional) difference in the quality of their education. This article explores that idea, but in a very different context: China. As such it names and describes the system of sociel ties that confer an advantage to students who study under a well-connected advisor in the domestic university system, as opposed to those who travel overseas to study in western institutions. "Domestic PhDs benefit from deep-rooted local networks, particularly advisor-related ties (shimen), institutional prestige, and informal job-search channels... Underpinning these dynamics is China's renqing society (a moral system of intimacy, reciprocity and obligation), where guanxi (personal connections embedded in trust, exchange, and hierarchy) remains central to academic recruitment. More research with much larger populations would be required to show how pervasive these factors are.
Today: Total: [Direct link] [Share]
