The Long-Run and Gender-Equalizing Impacts of School Access: Evidence From the First Indochina War
Abstract
Very few studies currently exist on the long-term impacts of schooling policies in developing countries. This paper examines the impacts — half a century later — of a mass education program conducted by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the occupied areas during the First Indochina War. Difference-in-difference estimation results suggest that school-age children who were exposed to the program obtained significantly higher levels of education than their peers who were residing in French-occupied areas. The impacts are statistically significant for school-age girls and not for school-age boys. The analysis finds beneficial spillover and inter-generational impacts of education: affected girls enjoyed higher household living standards, had more educated spouses, and raised more educated children. The paper discusses various robustness checks and extensions that support these findings.
Citation
Dang, Hai-Anh H.; Hoang, Trung Xuan; Nguyen, Ha Minh. 2018. The long-run and gender-equalizing impacts of school access : evidence from the first Indochina war (English). Policy Research working paper; no. WPS 8480. Washington, D.C. World Bank Group.
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