Identity theft, cheating and corruption in college admission in China
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Reports on corruption in college admission abound worldwide, but empirical research thereof is scarce. This is the first empirical study of a distinctive form of cheating through corruption in college admissions in China, namely identity theft in college admission (ITCA). Based on an in-depth analysis of 47 cases, we found that rural students were particularly vulnerable to ITCA, which was characterized by a systemic network involving the falsification of identity documents for a passive impostor who was often pressured to comply under the influence of traditional family values. We adopted a social capital approach to examining the ITCA network’s characteristics, cognitive (in)congruence among co-offenders, and the facilitating roles of trust, obligations and norms in its operation. The findings show that ITCA is the result of a confluence of rural–urban inequality, systemic corruption and family-centred collectivist values.
Source: Criminology & Criminal Justice
Authors: Han Wang, Yueying Lena Zhong
Institution: City University of Hong Kong
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4415775665