Parental religiosity and human capital development: A field study in Pakistan

Samreen Malik and Benedikt Mihm

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2022, vol. 197, issue C, 519-560

Abstract: In developing countries, a child’s human capital development often depends on a trade-off between attending school and engaging in work activities. While the emphasis placed by religion on education means that parents may assign more importance to schooling, parents engaging in time-consuming religious activities may require their children to work more to compensate. Given these countervailing forces, we conduct a field study in Pakistan to assess the impact of parental religiosity on children’s educational attainment and work activities. We find that parental religiosity has a robust positive impact on children’s school outcomes and reduces their work activity, and parents with less time-consuming religious practices drive these results.

Keywords: Religion; Human capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I25 J13 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:197:y:2022:i:c:p:519-560

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2022.03.015

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