The politics of education in developing countries

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

We know, intuitively, that politics shapes education provision, but how exactly do political factors influence education policies and outcomes? Does electoral competition provide incentives for politicians in low-income countries to improve the quality of schooling (Sandholtz et.al.)? Does the political ambition of school inspectors distract them from their job of monitoring schools (Opalo et.al.)? Do different religious groups have different perceptions about the importance of education in society, and do these differences generate inter-group differences in educational attainment (Platas)? Can domestic conflict increase politicians' incentives to invest in primary schooling, and do politicians provide education in post-conflict settings to address existing grievances or to demobilize potential rebels through indoctrination (Paglayan)? The papers in this panel will contribute answers to these questions through a variety of research methods (experimental, quasi-experimental, qualitative, historical) and by examining the link between politics and education provision in Africa, Latin America, and Europe, both today and historically.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Lant Pritchett, Harvard University

Individual Presentations

• Electoral incentives for public good provision: Evidence from three linked field experiments in Liberia - Wayne Sandholtz, University of California, San Diego; Justin Sandefur, Center for Global Development; Mauricio Romero, Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM)

• Bureaucratic ambition, accountability, and effort in Tanzania - Ken Opalo, Georgetown University

• Schooling norms and the persistence of inequality: Evidence from the Muslim-Christian education gap in Malawi - Melina Platas, New York University, Abu Dhabi

• Civil war, state consolidation, and the spread of mass education - Agustina Paglayan, University of California, San Diego

Discussant

• Alec Ian Gershberg, University of Pennsylvania