Abstract
I analyze the impact of food price inflation on parental decisions to send their
children to school.* Moreover, I use the fact that food crop farmers and cotton
farmers were exposed differently to that shock to estimate the income elasticity
of school enrolment. The results suggest that the shock-induced loss in
purchasing power had an immediate effect on enrolment rates. Instrumental
variable estimates show that the effect of household income on children’s
school enrolment is much larger than a simple OLS regression would suggest.
Hence, policies to expand education in Sub-Saharan Africa should not neglect
the demand side.
children to school.* Moreover, I use the fact that food crop farmers and cotton
farmers were exposed differently to that shock to estimate the income elasticity
of school enrolment. The results suggest that the shock-induced loss in
purchasing power had an immediate effect on enrolment rates. Instrumental
variable estimates show that the effect of household income on children’s
school enrolment is much larger than a simple OLS regression would suggest.
Hence, policies to expand education in Sub-Saharan Africa should not neglect
the demand side.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Den Haag |
| Publisher | International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) |
| Number of pages | 33 |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2009 |
Publication series
| Series | ISS working papers. General series |
|---|---|
| Number | 472 |
| ISSN | 0921-0210 |
Bibliographical note
JEL: I21, O12, Q12Series
- ISS Working Paper-General Series
