To investigate the link between the state and life chances, we begin our journey in the area of educational attainment – patterns of progression along formal education levels over time and among social groups. Educational attainment is an appropriate starting point in many respects. As the Confucius teaching above indicates, throughout Chinese history, education and knowledge earned respect, conferred status, and led to desirable careers in officialdom. As many vivid folklores and solemn classics literature recorded, since the Sui dynasty (587 a.d.), the educational examination system in China has provided the most effective and direct channel of upward mobility, especially for individuals of lower social strata. This sentiment is still echoed in today's China, as the children of peasants in remote areas see entrance into college through the national college entrance examination as the only feasible way to permanently break away from their rural roots.

China was not alone in this regard. In contemporary societies, education has become the most important channel for upward mobility and economic well-being. Across societies all over the world, education helps individuals open doors to prestigious jobs, gain higher salaries, and have better promotion chances in organizations.