The effect of village headman’s level of education on farmers’ income: empirical study based on CFPS

Abstract

To increase farmers’ income, one of the most critical factors is enhancing the quality of the team in the village. The government of China implements many initiatives to encourage college students to work in villages. However, their effect needs to be further discussed. This study aims to examine two hypotheses: (1) village headsmen with high education levels can effectively promote the growth of farmers’ income, and (2) highly educated village headsmen increase farmers’ income by improving rural governance. After theoretically analyzing the influence of village headsmen with high education levels on the farmers’ income and exploring the mechanisms of increasing it, the data from China Family Plan Studies 2014 is used to empirically test the hypotheses. Building econometric models, regression analysis, mediation mechanism analysis, and heterogeneity assessment are applied. Research results indicate that village headsmen with high education levels can effectively facilitate the increase in farmers’ income by improving rural governance. Additionally, the effect of the village headman’s education level on farmers’ income is mitigated by the regional location of the village and the experience of the village headsman. In the eastern part of China, the effect is more significant than in the west and the center of the country. Unsurprisingly, village headmen with more experience can achieve greater results than those with little or none. Our study extends previous works by providing empirical analysis of the theoretical conclusions. The conclusions of this study have implications on how the government can focus their efforts to encourage highly educated people to work in the village.