学历造假的原因（学历造假普遍吗）

In many cultures, where people go to college and what degrees they hold is a serious matter affecting job prospects and social standing. But in China, academic credentials have long been one of the most important factors in determining the fate of many people. For more than 1,000 years, the Chinese bureaucracy was mostly made up of people who succeeded in imperial examinations.

This is the context for recent public debate over unproven allegations a former president of Microsoft China and best-selling author distorted his academic credentials. Since early July, Tang Jun has been mired in the so-called "diploma gate" scandal after Fang Zhouzi, a science writer known for his criticism of academic fraud, accused Mr. Tang of having falsely claimed to have earned a doctorate from the California Institute of Technology.

Meanwhile debate continued in China, in part because Pacific Western University was labeled a "diploma mill" by the US Government Accountability Office in a report published in 2004, which listed the school as an unaccredited institution that awarded degrees for a fee and required no classroom instruction.

In China, the issue of fake qualifications clearly touches a nerve here.

Until 15 to 20 years ago most jobs in China were assigned by the state and lasted for life. A diploma was about the only criteria the state could use to decide what kind of job everybody should get. Even today, government agencies and state-owned enterprises still have different pay scales for people with bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, and some positions are reserved for those with advance degrees.

"It's a matter of supply and demand," says Chen Zhiwu, professor of finance at Yale University's School of Management. When society values certain credentials so much, there will be people who will take risks to meet that demand, he says. "It's unfortunate that some people choose to make the shortcut because the perceived benefits surpass the risks," he says.

For those who aren't well connected, it's quite easy to get fake diplomas on the black market. In 2004, a central government investigation into 670,000 midlevel cadres around the country found problems with the educational qualifications of one in 40, from fake diplomas to falsified degree standing, according to a report by a newspaper owned by Xinhua news agency.

Diplomas from universities in the West have similar, if not higher, value. A decade or two ago, when very few Chinese had opportunities to study abroad, a degree from a Western university could open many doors.

To be sure, fake or unearned education credentials aren't unique to China. The 2004 Government Accountability Office report found that 28 senior-level US federal employees have degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited schools, and it said the actual number could be higher.

It's also true that degrees from world-renowned universities help open doors in many countries. Eight of 44 US presidents studied at Harvard University. Prior to 2004, Harvard alone was the most common school attended by S&P 500 CEOs, according to a survey by executive recruiter Spencer Stuart

在许多国家，人们上哪所大学，拿到什么学位对就业前景和社会地位有重要影响。在中国，学历长久以来就是决定许多人命运的最重要因素之一。在古代，中国官僚机构基本由科举考试的成功者组成。近代以来，高校尤其是顶级学府仍然是培育统治阶层的摇篮。

这就是近期微软（中国）前总裁、畅销书作者唐骏被指学历造假事件引起公众热议的背景。唐骏从7月初开始陷入学历门丑闻。以批判学术欺诈著称的科普作家方舟子指责唐骏从美国获得博士学位的说法不实。

对于这件事的争论至今仍未休止，其中一个原因是西太平洋大学在2004年被美国政府问责在一份报告中标为文凭工厂，根据报告，该校是一所不具资质的机构，缴费即可拿到学位、无需上课。

唐骏假学历问题显然在中国触到了痛处。

在中国，15到20年前，多数工作还是由政府分配的，而且是铁饭碗。一纸文凭差不多是政府分配工作时唯一的衡量标准。即便是现在，政府机构和国有企业对学士学位、硕士学位和博士学位拥有者仍然设定了不同的薪水档次，部分职位只限高学历的人担任。

耶鲁大学管理学院金融学教授陈志武说：这是一个供需问题。他说，如果社会非常看重文凭，必定有人愿意为了满足这种需求承担风险。他说：遗憾的是，有些人选择投机取巧，因为看到收益超过了风险。

对人脉不广的人来说，从黑市上获得假文凭是轻而易举的事。据报道，2004年中央政府部门对全国67万名中层干部的调查发现，每40人中就有一人的教育资历存在问题，从假文凭到虚报学位不一而足。

西方高校地文凭即便价值不比国内文凭高，也是差不多的。20年前，只有极少数人有机会出国留学，那时西方大学的学位可以敲开许多用人单位的大门。

当然，假文凭或者虚报学历的现象不是中国独有的。美国政府问责局2004年的报告显示，28名美国联邦政府高级雇员的学位来自文凭工厂或者其他不具资质的院校，据说实际人数可能更高。

另外一个不争的事实是，世界知名大学的学位在许多国家都有助于敲开用人单位的大门。美国44位总统中有8人曾就读于哈佛大学。根据猎头公司调查，2004年以前，入选标准普尔500种股票指数公司的首席执行官就读的院校中，哈佛大学独占鳌头。