Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP16620
Authors: Erik Hornung; Guido Schwerdt; Maurizio Strazzeri
Abstract: We investigate how the intensity of Ramadan affects educational outcomes by exploiting spatio-temporal variation in annual fasting hours. Longer fasting hours are related to increases in student performance in a panel of TIMMS test scores (1995-2019) across Muslim countries but not other countries. Results are confirmed in a panel of PISA test scores (2003-2018) allowing within country-wave comparisons of Muslim to non-Muslim students across Europe. We provide evidence consistent with the hypothesis that a demanding Ramadan during adolescence affects educational performance by facilitating formation of social capital and social identity via increased religious participation and shared experiences among students.
Keywords: education; religion; religious participation; ramadan; social identity; social capital; pisa; timms
JEL Codes: I21; Z12; J24; O15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| longer Ramadan fasting hours (C41) | student performance (D29) |
| increased fasting hours (C41) | improved student performance (D29) |
| 10% increase in fasting hours (C41) | reduces the test score gap between Muslim and non-Muslim students (I24) |
| the positive relationship between fasting hours and educational performance (I25) | social capital and identity formation (Z13) |
| communal experience of Ramadan (Z12) | enhances educational outcomes (I24) |
| Ramadan fasting (Z12) | immediate negative impacts on performance (F69) |
| long-term benefits on educational achievement (I21) | significant for adolescents (J13) |