Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP8311
Authors: Emmanuelle Auriol; Jeanluc Demonsant
Abstract: The paper aims at studying determinants of schooling in traditional hierarchical societies confronted with an established history of outmigration. In the village, a ruling caste controls local political and religious institutions. For children who do not belong to the ruling caste, migration is a social mobility factor that is enhanced by formal schooling. Since formally educated children tend not to return, the ruling caste seeks to develop family loyalty by choosing religious education instead. The theory hence predicts that the social status of the family has a signi ficant impact on educational choice. Children from the ruling caste who are sent abroad have a lower probability of being sent to formal school. They are more likely to be sent to Koranic schools that emphasize religious and family values. The theoretical predictions are tested on data from Matam region in Senegal, a region where roughly one of every two children have ever attended school.
Keywords: Haalpulaar; Senegal; Migration; Schooling; Social Status
JEL Codes: I21; O12; O15; O17; Z13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Higher social status (Z13) | Preference for religious education over formal education (Z12) |
| Ruling caste's control over resources (P26) | Preference for religious education (Z12) |
| Children from the ruling caste (J13) | Lower probability of being sent to formal schools (I21) |
| Koranic education (A21) | Less likely to return to the village (R23) |
| Less likely to return to the village (R23) | Affects remittance behaviors (F24) |
| Lower caste children (I24) | More likely to pursue formal education (I23) |
| Lower caste children (I24) | Remit less than higher caste children (J15) |
| Educational choices (I21) | Strategically aligned with migration expectations (F22) |