Micro Economics

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Browsing Micro Economics by Subject "Education - Economic aspects"

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    Dropping Out of School in the Course of the Year in Benin: A Micro-econometric Analysis
    (AERC, 2014-05) Senou, Barthélemy Mahugnon
    The important role of education in economic growth has long been recognized in ecomonic literature. The aim of this study is to analyse the phenomenon of dropping out of primary school in the course of the year in Benin by identifying its causes. The study used individual data about schoolchildren and classes, which enabled a close examination of the causes of each individual case of dropping out of school. These data were complemented with interviews with stakeholders in the education system in Benin, especially the schoolchildren’s parents. With a multinomial logit model, we estimated the probability that the schoolchild would be found in one of the three situations which are “to attend school regularly”, “to take to absenteeism”, and “to abandon school altogether”. The results obtained show that variables such as the level of health, stundent’s doing activities outside of school hours, level of household, the quality of education and teachers' absenteeism are determinants of dropping out during the year, and that the phenomenon of dropping out is more pronounced among girls compared to boys. In view of these results, policy elements have been formulated ito slow the phenomenon of dropping out.
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    Private Returns to Education in Ghana: Implications for Investments in Schooling and Migration
    (AERC, 2008-01-07) Harry A. Sackey
    This study examines private returns to schooling in Ghana over a seven-year period, and the implications for school investments and migration. Using data from the 1992 and 1999 Ghana living standards surveys and ordinary least squares technique, we find that the private returns to schooling at higher levels of education have increased for both female and male workers. For female workers, the return to an additional year of secondary schooling increased from 7.3% in 1992 to 12.3% in 1999. In the case of tertiary education, the change is from 11.4% in 1992 to 18.4% in 1999. For male workers the return to an additional year of secondary education decreased from about 7% to 6%, while the return to tertiary education increased from about 13% to 19%. Generally, the rising rates of return at higher school levels have coincided with a similar trend in school attendance rates for female and male children. The spatial analysis implies a rural-urban gap in the returns to an additional year of tertiary education. Linking these results to migration, the data show a relatively low incidence of rural-to-urban migration, notwithstanding relatively higher earnings in urban areas. To sustain the gains realized in educational attainment, lingering issues of gender equity need to be addressed by policy makers so that females are not left behind in the intergenerational race for improvements in quality of life.