Does population composition of a village influence public school quality? Evidence from rural India

Neha Bailwal and Sourabh Bikas Paul

Oxford Development Studies, 2025, vol. 53, issue 3, 205-221

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate whether the population composition of villages is associated with the quality of public schools in rural India. We use two parameters to assess the quality of public schools – school infrastructure and teachers’ presence. Using a recent round of Census and District Information System for Education data, we find that the caste composition of a village is associated with the quality of public schools. Villages inhabited by a higher share of socially backward groups have lower quality public schools as compared to villages inhabited by higher castes. We also highlight several potential mechanisms like access to information, role of social and personal networks, and political and economic representation at the village level to explain the main findings of our paper.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2025.2501551

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