In this article, we examine the intergenerational influence of political capital on educational attainment. Most previous researchers have focused on the centrality of political cadres to the redistribution of resources in transitional economies, yet the intergenerational mobility of these cadres has rarely been discussed. We use data from the 2010 Chinese College Student Survey to investigate the effects of cadre parent status on children’s admission to elite colleges in China. The results reveal that the children of cadre parents are more likely to attend elite colleges. According to the results of China’s standardized college entrance examinations, the children of cadre parents are not innately more intelligent than the children of non-cadre parents. However, children with cadre parents are more likely to attend elite senior high schools, which increases their likelihood of gaining entrance to elite colleges.
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