article · Review of Development Economics
Abstract Following the Millennium Development Goals and the Dakar Framework for Action, many African countries instituted free primary education policies in 2000 to achieve universal primary education by 2015. However, the impact of free education policies remains understudied, particularly for late‐adopters. This paper estimates the short‐term effects of free primary education on enrollment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the policy was implemented as a trial in only two provinces in 2010. We exploit the spatial variations in adopting the policies using difference‐in‐differences with propensity score matching and show that free primary education policies significantly increase enrollment. We find large heterogeneity in the effects depending on the school management types. Catholic conventional school accounts for most of the enrollment due to the perceived quality, level of teacher knowledge, school infrastructure, and better service delivery.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1111/rode.12922
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
