Essays at the Intersection of Development and Education Economics

Abstract

This dissertation uses tools from economics to study three different aspects of educational markets in the developing world. In chapter 1, I analyze how competition among private schools in Pakistan affects student outcomes when (1) the match between a school and a student matters for learning, and (2) poorer students may be less informed about their match when they make enrollment decisions. I find that greater competition may lead schools to compete more intensively for wealthier, better-informed students, lowering learning for poorer students in the average private school and increasing learning for wealthier students. In chapter 2, I examine how cultural norms that encourage children to care for their parents when they reach adulthood affect human capital investment in children in Ghana, Indonesia, Rwanda, and Mexico. I find that children targeted by these norms receive more educational investments. Finally, in chapter 3, I study the labor market for public school teachers in Pakistan by analyzing the effect of a policy shock that changed both teacher salaries and accountability on student learning. I find that simultaneously lowering teacher salaries and increasing accountability lowered the cost of providing education and improved students’ learning.