How Education Quality and Inclusivity Foster Sustainable Development in the Global South: A Structured Narrative Review

Raffaele F. Ciriello

Review of Development Economics, 2026, vol. 30, issue 3, 1657-1670

Abstract: Education is widely seen as both a means and an end to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet its broader socio‐economic effects on growth, inequality, health and institutions remain contested across diverse Global South contexts. Prior reviews are largely Global North‐centric and rarely grade evidentiary strength, making it hard to prioritise and sequence policy reforms. This paper offers a structured narrative review of 134 peer‐reviewed studies (1984–2024) from 33 renowned journals focused on education, development and policy. Using a PRISMA‐inspired workflow, I code studies by region, level, SDG alignment, method, evidence type and effect direction/size. Four SDGs have sufficient coverage: SDG 8 (work and growth), SDG 10 (inequalities), SDG 3 (health) and SDG 16 (institutions). Findings support cautious optimism: education is associated with higher earnings and growth; reduced inequality when reaching disadvantaged groups; selected health gains, especially for women and later life; and lower violence with stronger civic competencies. Effects are larger where learning quality is high and skills can be absorbed by institutions and labour markets; early expansions can widen measured inequality, and credible nulls appear for some outcomes. The review contributes a Global South‐centred, cross‐SDG evidence map that distinguishes evidentiary strength and derives policy priorities: quality over quantity, governance capacity, and technology as a complement, not a substitute.

Date: 2026
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