Political Economy of Right to Education in Rural China: Unpacking the Black Box of State

Abstract

This dissertation approaches the inequality of basic education between urban and rural China from a human rights perspective and positions this issue in the context of Chinese political economy. It demonstrates the slackness of the Chinese state in the 1990s and its insufficient efforts in the 2000s in addressing this education inequality, and showcases the achievements and persistent structural problems of current basic education arrangements in rural China in terms of educational gaps closing. Furthermore, the ways by which the Chinese state tackles this human right deficit are examined with the purpose of questioning the effectiveness of the existing international human rights mechanisms in addressing structural human rights problems in member states. This research suggests that the international community, while keeping a certain level of sensitivity to individual cases, should invest more energy and resources in identifying and tackling factors that lead to structural non-implementation of human rights not only in China but everywhere. In order to become much more effective, recommendations from the international community will have to be based on a thorough understanding of domestic situations