When Students Become “Prisoners”: A Game Theory Analysis of Internship by Beijing College Students

Oct 15, 2026

The study examines why Chinese college students take internships earlier and with increasing intensity amid oversupplied graduate labor and fierce urban job competition. It models internship intensity as a Prisoners’ Dilemma using a Cobb-Douglas utility framework, then tests determinants with data from a 2011 survey of roughly 10,000 students across 47 Beijing metropolitan institutions plus multivariate regression. Results support three hypotheses explaining excessive interning incentives, the mitigating effect of improved teaching quality, and preference for foundational knowledge acquisition, suggesting teaching improvements can substitute for over-interning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Background: graduate labor pressure and internship intensity

Human capital and education–work tradeoffs

International internship models and policy context

Research gap and debate over internship bans

ECNU Review of Education ISSN: 2096-5311 CN: 31-2150/G4 [http://www.roe.ecnu.edu.cn](http://www.roe.ecnu.edu.cn) When Students Become “Prisoners”: A Game Theory Analysis of Internship by Beijing College Students DOI 10.30926/ecnuroe2018010203 Xiaohao Ding 1 , Wei Ha2 , Le Kang3 , and W. John Morgan4 1, 2, 3 Peking University 4 Cardiff University © East China Normal University & East China Normal University Press When Students Become “Prisoners”: A Game Theory Analysis of Internship by Beijing College Students Xiaohao Ding1, Wei Ha2, Le Kang3, and W. John Morgan4 1,2,3 Peking University 4 Cardiff University © East China Normal University & East China Normal University Press, Shanghai, China Abstract Purpose—The oversupply of college graduates and increasing competition in the Chinese urban labor market have forced college students to undertake internships much earlier and to a greater intensity in the hope of boosting their employment prospects. It may be argued that the considerable time and energy thus spent on internships is deleterious to their university studies. The paper considers the factors that determine the intensity of an internship experience. Design/Approach/Methods—Building on a Cobb-Douglas utility function, the paper constructs a Prisoners’ Dilemma game to model the internship behavior of Chinese college students, and then examines the determinants of internship using data from a 2011 survey of approximately 10,000 Chinese college students from 47 higher education institutions in the Beijing metropolitan area and multivariate regression analysis. Findings—Empirical results confirm three key hypotheses derived from our model: first, students’ perceptions of higher differentials across available jobs in the labor market entice them to intern excessively; second, the improving quality of college teaching and the consequent benefit for knowledge acquisition mitigates the need for excessive internship; third, student preferences for fundamental knowledge acquisition also tilts the balance towards more study and less internship. Originality/Value—These findings suggest that in the context of a tight graduate labor market, improving the quality of college teaching provides a viable alternative to excessive internship by students. Keywords Prisoners’ dilemma; game theory; Cobb-Douglas utility function; college student internship ECNU Review of Education 1 (2) 45 1. Introduction The number of college graduates in China expanded six-fold between 1999 and 2010 from one million to six million, which has far exceeded employment demand even for such a fast-growing economy. Pressure to secure a well-paid job or in some cases a job at all, has encouraged many students to take up an internship while still studying for their degree and to undertake such a placement with greater intensity. Anecdotal evidence suggests that college students may be so distracted from their studies by undertaking such internships that absenteeism from college programs has become common (Chen, 2008; Ding & Yu, 2011) . Consequently, some students neglect their graduation thesis or research project. This has led some university presidents to ask the Ministry of Education to ban internships altogether. The problem is also debated on social media and there is, as yet, no consensus about whether banning internships is the correct policy. Human capital theory argues that students defer employment to invest in education in the expectation of higher lifetime earnings from improved job prospects and increased productivity. However, it has long been accepted that work experience and schooling should not be regarded as an either/or relationship. It is not uncommon that work experience, often described as an“internship”, is integral to the curriculum in providing students with practical experience in a work setting, thus supplementing and informing their learning at college and university (Thilakerathne & Madurapperum

FAQs

Why do Chinese college students undertake internships earlier and more intensely?

Oversupply of graduates and stronger competition in urban labor markets push students to seek employment prospects sooner, including internships during their degree studies.

How does the paper analyze internship intensity?

It constructs a Prisoners’ Dilemma game based on a Cobb-Douglas utility function, then examines determinants of internship intensity using 2011 survey data and multivariate regression analysis.

What factors are shown to increase or reduce excessive internship intensity?

Students’ perceptions of higher job differentials encourage excessive internship. Improving college teaching quality reduces the need for excessive internship, and students’ preference for acquiring fundamental knowledge also shifts the balance toward more study and less internship.

Oct 15, 2026

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