Education, social capital and political participation Evidence from school construction in Malian villages

Pierre André () and Paul Maarek

No 2017-18, THEMA Working Papers from THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise

Abstract: Using a nationally representative household survey from Mali with retrospective information on school supply, we estimate the effect of opening new schools on education and on social capital formation. I compare the difference in educational attainment between individuals below and above the age of 9 at a school opening date using a quasi regression discontinuity design. School openings increase school enrollment; they also increase the participation in village associations and the involvement in local political life. The effect on political participation is concentrated in the eldest cohorts of the village with education, aged more than 40; this is not surprising: the eldest occupy a pivotal role in the social life of African villages. Also, the effect of education is concentrated on individuals belonging to a chief family of the village, so education seems to change local political power inside the dominant group of the village.

Keywords: Education; political participation; school openings; Mali (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-edu, nep-soc and nep-ure
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ema:worpap:2017-18

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