Matthew Collins, University of Galway

"Social Institutions, Parental Investments and Educational Attainment: Evidence from Age-sets in Uganda"

Abstract

Education is widely seen as a key driver of economic growth, yet social norms and institutions may mediate efforts to improve education outcomes. We examine how age-set organisation -- where societies are structured into age-based social groups with distinct social, political and economic responsibilities -- shapes the human capital investments parents make in their children and whether this ultimately leads to greater educational attainment. Exploiting spatial discontinuities in the prevalence of age-sets, we show that children in age-set societies receive greater human capital investments in early childhood. Greater investments correspond to improved health and more completed years of schooling at younger ages. However, educational advantages dissipate as children grow older, falling from 0.38 more years of schooling at age 13 to zero by age 16. These ages correspond to the timing of age-set initiation, when children take on the responsibilities and obligations of their age-set. Consistent with a reduced focus on formal education, we find that the introduction of universal secondary education had no effect on years of schooling in age-set societies, while it had a significant positive effect in societies without age-sets. These findings highlight how the impacts of social institutions can vary across the life-cycle, with implications for development policy.

With Patrick Wing McHale, Devon Spika

Contact person: Neda Trifkovic