Historical Origins of Schooling: The Role of Democracy and Political Decentralization

The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 92, No. 2, pp. 228-243, May 2010

Posted: 3 Dec 2010

See all articles by Francisco A. Gallego

Francisco A. Gallego

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

Date Written: May 1, 2010

Abstract

Why does schooling attainment vary widely across countries? Why are differences in schooling attainment highly persistent? I show that cross-country differences in schooling are related to political institutions, such as democracy and local democracy (political decentralization), which are affected by colonial factors. By using the number of native cultures before colonization as an instrument for political decentralization, I show that after controlling for the causal effect of income on schooling, the degree of democratization positively affects the development of primary education, whereas political decentralization has a positive and significant impact on more advanced levels of schooling.

Keywords: Schooling, Political Decentralization, Democracy, Institutions, Colonialism, School Decentralization.

JEL Classification: I2, N3, O15

Suggested Citation

Gallego, Francisco A., Historical Origins of Schooling: The Role of Democracy and Political Decentralization (May 1, 2010). The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 92, No. 2, pp. 228-243, May 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1718346

Francisco A. Gallego (Contact Author)

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile ( email )

Casilla 76
Correo 17
Santiago
Chile

HOME PAGE: http://www.economia.puc.cl/fgallego

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