Working Paper: NBER ID: w16939
Authors: Willa Friedman; Michael Kremer; Edward Miguel; Rebecca Thornton
Abstract: Scholars have long speculated about education's political impacts, variously arguing that it promotes modern or pro-democratic attitudes; that it instills acceptance of existing authority; and that it empowers the disadvantaged to challenge authority. To avoid endogeneity bias, if schooling requires some willingness to accept authority, we assess the political and social impacts of a randomized girls' merit scholarship incentive program in Kenya that raised test scores and secondary schooling. We find little evidence for modernization theory. Consistent with the empowerment view, young women in program schools were less likely to accept domestic violence. Moreover, the program increased objective political knowledge, and reduced acceptance of political authority. However, this rejection of the status quo did not translate into greater perceived political efficacy, community participation, or voting intentions. Instead, the perceived legitimacy of political violence increased. Reverse causality may help account for the view that education instills greater acceptance of authority.
Keywords: education; political impacts; gender empowerment; Kenya
JEL Codes: I20; O15; P16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| increased objective political knowledge (D72) | decreased political efficacy (D72) |
| increased perceived legitimacy of political violence (P37) | dissatisfaction with political status quo (D72) |
| Girls Scholarship Program (GSP) (I24) | reduced acceptance of domestic violence (J12) |
| Girls Scholarship Program (GSP) (I24) | increased objective political knowledge (D72) |
| Girls Scholarship Program (GSP) (I24) | increased perceived legitimacy of political violence (P37) |