A Way Out? Vocational Training, Employment & Religious Extremism in Nigeria

• In Event: Strategies to Prevent Violence and Extremism: Latest Evidence and New Frontiers

Abstract

We estimate the effect of a vocational training program on employment and religious extremism in Northern Nigeria. The program is unique in targeting a population of highly marginalized urban youth, some of whom are affiliated with Islamic religious boarding schools and deemed at risk of religious radicalization. Our results suggest that the program led to a substantial increase in employment and income among its beneficiaries. The program’s effect on religious attitudes and behaviors is small on average, but masks substantial heterogeneity. In particular, we find that the program increased the willingness to violently enforce religious norms among beneficiaries affiliated with religious schools and among dropouts from formal education. A machine learning exercise allows us to out-of-sample target a subset of beneficiaries for whom training has significant positive effects on religious extremism and gender norms of marginalized youth targeted by the program.

Authors

• Oeindrila Dube

• Marcus Holmlund, The World Bank

• Eric N. Mvukiyehe