Choice of ethnic identity under educational incentives: Ethnic identity manipulation and the bonus policy for the college entrance examination

To what extent do educational incentives change an individual’s economic behavior? This article systematically evaluates the influence of the bonus points policy for the Chinese college entrance examination on the manipulation of candidates’ ethnic identity at both the county and individual levels. We find that the system of bonus points encourages individuals to present themselves as ethnic minority candidates, although local government policy to reduce bonus points has significantly inhibited such manipulation. Differences in the methods of manipulation used lead to a certain degree of educational unfairness. Legal manipulation methods increase the chances of candidates going to college, whereas illegal (fraudulent) methods reduce the risk of candidates dropping out of education.