College Admissions in China : A Mechanism Design Perspective
type: Dataset
description: This paper justifies the evolution of the college admissions system in China from a mechanism design perspective. The sequential choice algorithm and the parallel choice algorithm used in the context of China's college admissions system are formulated as the well-studied Boston mechanism and the Simple Serial Dictatorship mechanism. We review both theoretical and experimental mechanism design literature in similar assignment problems. Studies show that the Boston mechanism does not eliminate justified envy, is not strategy-proof and is not Pareto-efficient. The Simple Serial Dictatorship mechanism eliminates justified envy, is strategy-proof and is Pareto-efficient, thus outperforming the Boston mechanism in all three criteria. This result provides justification for the transition in recent years from the sequential choice algorithm to the parallel choice algorithm in China's college admissions practices.
issued: 2026-05-06T04:12:01.667659
language: en
modified: 2026-05-06T04:12:01.667664
contact point: Organization
  fn: CCSD
keyword: college-admissions-in-china
keyword: experiment
keyword: infoeu-reposemanticspreprint
keyword: jel-c---mathematical-and-quantitative-methodscc7---game-theory-and-bargaining-theorycc7c70---g
keyword: jel-d---microeconomicsdd7---analysis-of-collective-decision-makingdd7d78---positive-analysis-o
keyword: mechanism-design
keyword: preprints-working-papers-
keyword: shsecohumanities-and-social-scienceseconomics-and-finance
landing page: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00860931

College Admissions in China : A Mechanism Design Perspective
type: Distribution
format: HTML
issued: 2026-05-06T04:12:01.674854
modified: 2026-05-06T04:12:01.653269
access URL: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00860931

test_moissonnage_selune
type: Agent