Traditional Dietary Habits and Interprovincial Migration in College Choice: Evidence from Ningxia in China

Purpose: Every September, millions of students--elite human resources--enter higher education in China. This large-scale college-induced migration has substantial impacts on China's national and local labor markets. This study examines the migration pattern in college choice and admission among the Hui students in China. In doing so, we extend the existing interprovincial migration model by identifying and measuring the role of traditional dietary habits in college migration decisions. Design/Approach/Methods: This study uses college entrance examination (Gaokao) admission data for 10 high school graduation cohorts from 2001 to 2010 in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. These data are used to study the interprovincial migration of the Hui students following their college entrance examination. Ordinary least squares and logit regressions are used to control for other confounding factors, while the method of instrumental variables and placebo group comparison were used to rule out other explanations. Findings: Results demonstrate that traditional dietary habits produce geographic inequalities in terms of college opportunities for Hui and other minority group students. First, after controlling for variables such as college entrance examination scores and personal characteristics, results show that the Hui students are more likely to choose an institution closer to their hometown and preferred institutions located in Ningxia and the northwestern provinces rather than the Yangtze/Pearl River Delta regions and coastal provinces. Second, this migration pattern is shaped by the dietary habits of the Hui. Third, the Hui students were more likely to choose institutions in underdeveloped areas, resulting in corresponding welfare losses. Originality/Value: This study supplements classic college choice literature by documenting a special impact factor of geography previously overlooked by researchers, demonstrating the need to examine the underlying mechanisms of proximity and its significance in college choice. Moreover, the provision of dietary information may have important policy impacts for improved college choice, as well as for human capital investment and poverty alleviation measures in Northwest China.