Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Economics / William F. Blankenau / This dissertation encompasses three essays on the macroeconomics of human capital and economic growth. Below are the individual abstracts for each essay. Essay 1: Does Public Education Spending Increase Human Capital? I investigate the effect of public education spending on the quality of human capital as measured by international student test scores in science and mathematics, conditional on the efficiency of a country's governance. Combining World Bank country level data on government efficiency with rich micro data from the OECD PISA-2009, I estimate a human capital production function from student level data. Prior work suggests that public education expenditures are inconsequential for student achievement. I illustrate that public education spending matters for student test scores when one uses student level data instead of aggregate country level data. These results are robust to controlling for governance measures such as corruption control and regulatory quality. An implication is that less efficient government does not preclude improving test scores through education spending. Essay 2: Inequality of Opportunity in Education: International Evidence from PISA. I provide lower-bound estimates of inequality of opportunity in education (IEO) using micro-data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The measure represents variation in student mathematics test scores which can be explained by predetermined circumstances (including parental education, gender, and additional community variables). I explore the heterogeneity of the measure at the top and bottom of the test score distribution, and demonstrate that IEO accounts for 10 percent of the variation in test scores for students at the top and bottom of the test score distribution. Using this inequality measure I establish three main conclusions. (1) IEO decreases overall in response to an increase in preprimary enrollment rates. An implication here is that improvements in early childhood education might mitigate the effects of IEO factors for some students. (2) IEO increases in a manner which relates to overall inequality. This indicates the possibility of a more general persistence to inequality factors. An implication is that equity-based education policies can be a key tool for reducing income inequality. (3) There is evidence of an equity-efficiency tradeoff in education. An implication here is that public education policies aimed at reducing IEO might hinder overall education efficiency, in that it decreases academic achievement for some groups of students. Essay 3: Public Education Spending and Economic Growth: The Role of Governance. Although the theoretical literature often connects public education spending to growth, individual empirical findings sometimes conflict. In this paper I propose that inefficiencies in public education spending might explain these inconsistencies. Using a dataset from both developed and developing countries observed over the period of 1995 to 2010, I demonstrate that the efficiency of public education spending on growth depends on a country's level and quality of governance. I also find evidence that increasing educational spending is associated with higher economic growth only in countries that are less corrupt. These findings have important implications for the formation of effective education policies in developing countries. They illustrate that efficient public education spending augments economic growth in a way that increased spending alone does not match.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:56:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ruth Willna Ferreira de Lemos.pdf: 1224129 bytes, checksum: f4f39035180eb68b9d099a44633f25d1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-14 / The present work aims to develop na understanding about the subjective dimension of the ecational process in a full time school, in other words, to meet the subjective aspects made by those individuals Who live this experience. For this, researches were made in the statemens of parents and students of and students, elements that make up the meanings (senses) on Full-Time school. This research was based on restlessness of observing the inequality educational context ok our country and bringing support to the proposal of Full-Time Education and the program Mais Educação . The theorist used in this research was the sócio-historic psychology, which has as its starting point the Idea tha all human phenomena are produced in the historical processo of social life formation, thus converging with the prospect of Full-Time Education. The participants were three studens in the 8th year of na elementary full-time school in the city of Jo~so Pessoa in Paraíba, and two parents of students at the respective school. Specifically for this Project were developed semi-structured inerviews with both parents and students, held by the researcher. Data were generated from the analysis of the speeches, by the method of categorization.The results allowed us to understand that there is no clarity on how they view the changes in terms of what would be the quality of educacion in school. Their senses about full-time school are that more time in school protects and provides a better learning for students, when copared to other schools. However, the vision seems abstract thesesubjects with regard to the proposal for Full-Time Education / O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de desenvolver uma compreensão da dimensão subjetiva do processo de escolarização na escola de tempo integral, ou seja, conhecer aspectos subjetivos constituídos por estes sujeitos que vivenciam essa experiência. Para isto, buscamos nas falas dos pais e dos alunos, os elementos que compõem as significações (sentidos) sobre a escola de tempo integral. Esta pesquisa nasceu da inquietação da desigualdade observada no contexto educacional do nosso país trazendo como respaldo a proposta de Educação Integral e a investigação do programa Mais Educação . A pesquisa adotou como referencial teórico metodológico a abordagem Sócio-Histórica da Psicologia, que tem como ponto de partida a concepção de que todos os fenômenos humanos são produzidos no processo histórico de constituição da vida social, sendo assim convergente com a perspectiva de Educação Integral. Participaram da pesquisa três alunos do 8º ano de uma escola de ensino fundamental de tempo integral, na cidade de João Pessoa na Paraíba, e dois pais de alunos dessa respectiva escola. Foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas, tanto com os pais quanto com os alunos, desenvolvidas pela pesquisadora especificamente para este projeto. Os dados foram produzidos a partir da análise das falas, por meio do método de categorização. Os resultados nos permitiram entender que não há uma clareza na forma como eles enxergam as mudanças ocorridas em termos do que seria a qualidade educacional na escola. Os sentidos deles sobre a escola de tempo integral é de que mais tempo na escola protege e proporciona um melhor aprendizado para os alunos, quando comparado a outras escolas. Porém, a visão desses sujeitos parece abstrata no que diz respeito à proposta de Educação Integral

Cette thèse examine le poids du genre dans la structuration de la demande scolaire à Ouagadougou. Elle traite particulièrement du rôle des femmes dans la modulation des inégalités scolaires au sein des ménages. La recherche mobilise les données du recensement de 2006, celles d’une enquête quantitative sur l’implication des pères et des mères dans la scolarisation et des entretiens semi-structurés avec des femmes chefs de ménage réalisés en 2009, afin de revisiter de façon approfondie le résultat souvent observé en Afrique subsaharienne d’une meilleure scolarisation des enfants dans les ménages féminins. L’analyse porte d’abord sur les propriétés sociologiques du statut de « femme chef de ménage » et regarde l’élément qui le légitime comme une catégorie distincte de celle des hommes chef d’un ménage et lui confère une cohésion de groupe. Elle s’intéresse ensuite à la variation de la demande scolaire selon le sexe du chef de ménage et celui des enfants en lien avec leur statut familial. Il ressort des résultats que moins que le statut de chef de ménage, les configurations familiales particulières des structures dirigées par une femme en font des environnements favorables à la scolarisation des enfants, surtout des garçons. Il apparaît également une complexité et une ambiguïté du rapport à l’école de ces ménages, qui sont plus néfastes pour la scolarisation de certaines filles, conséquence des rapports sociaux de sexe inégaux dans la société exacerbés par le besoin en main-d’œuvre domestique des familles urbaines. La thèse met ainsi en lumière les potentialités des données du recensement pour une approche sexuée des stratégies scolaires familiales en milieu urbain burkinabè. / This thesis examines the mediating role of gender in the demand for child education in Ouagadougou. It specifically addresses the influence of women in the modification of educational inequalities within households. The research utilizes census data from 2006, data from a quantitative study on the involvement of fathers and mothers in education, and semi-structures interviews with female heads of household conducted in 2009, to elaborate on results often observed in sub-Saharan Africa that children are often better educated in female-headed households. The analysis deals primarily with sociological priorities of the status of the “female head of household” and examines the element that legitimizes them as a distinct category from male heads of household, creating a cohesive group. The study focuses then on the relationship between demand for schooling and the sex of the head of household as well as, the sex of children in relation to family status. The results demonstrate that regardless the status of the head of household, particular family configurations with structures headed by women provide a conducive environment for the education of children, especially for boys. A complex and ambiguous finding also emerged in regards to the schools of these households, which proved to be more harmful to the education of some girls as a result of unequal gender relations in society exacerbated by the need for domestic labor in urban families. This thesis sheds light on the potential for census data to provide a gender-based approach to family education strategies in urban Burkina Faso.

La région MENA est aujourd’hui, au centre d’ambitieux enjeux économiques essentiellement en matière d’intégration régionale et de transformation structurelle. Toutefois, les Etats Arabes de cette région ont présenté des défaillances et une vulnérabilité importante dans le système économique et productif au lendemain des mouvements et des bouleversements politiques, économiques, sociales et populaires de très grande ampleur. Ces chocs apportent un lot de nouveaux défis à relever. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est d’étudier les nouvelles dynamiques du processus de transformation structurelle afin de proposer de nouvelles trajectoires de développement pour ces pays. Dans cette optique, nous abordons les questions liées aux déterminants et aux effets spatiaux de ce processus, à la relation entre d’une part la complexité économique et la pollution de l’air, et d’autre part, la complexité économique et les inégalités de genre en éducation. Pour cela, nous considérons un panel dynamique de 133 pays qui couvre une période longue et récente (1984 à 2014). En utilisant des données récentes et en intégrant des paramètres jusque-là peu utilisés, nous mettons en évidence des caractéristiques particulières du processus de complexification des systèmes productifs. D’un point de vue général, les résultats révèlent que les performances en matière de complexification des systèmes productifs sont très hétérogènes au sein des pays MENA et que leurs déterminants dépendent des caractéristiques des économies. Les fortes disparités observées s’expliquent, au-delà de l’effet significatif du revenu par habitant, par une carence dans le système institutionnel, éducatif en particulier dans l’accès à l’innovation, mais aussi à l’abondance des ressources naturelles ou encore à l’attractivité des investissements directs étrangers. Au-delà des caractéristiques individuelles des économies, l’analyse spatiale montre que des facteurs géographiques tels que le taux d’urbanisation, les accords commerciaux, et la localisation spatiale jouent un rôle très important dans le processus de transformation structurelle. Nous apportons également, grâce aux outils tirés de la mécanique classique, des réponses aux limites des modèles économiques traditionnels qui peinent à démontrer l’existence d’un processus d’accélération du développement économique. / MENA countries is today, at the center of ambitious economic stakes mainly in regional integration and structural transformation. However, the Arab States of this region have suffered great shortcomings and vulnerability in the economic and productive system in the aftermath of massive political, economic, social and popular upheavals and upheavals. These shocks present a number of new challenges. The main objective of this thesis is to study the new dynamics of the structural transformation process in order to propose new development trajectories for these countries. In this context, we address issues related to the spatial determinants and effects of this process, the relationship between economic complexity and air pollution on the one hand, and economic complexity and inequalities on the other education. For this, we consider a dynamic panel of 133 countries covering an important and recent period (1984 to 2014). Using recent data and integrating previously little used parameters, we highlight particular characteristics of the process of complexification of productive systems. From a general point of view, the results reveal that the productivity performance of productive systems is very heterogeneous within MENA countries and that their determinants depend on the characteristics of the economies. The large disparities observed are explained, beyond the significant effect of per capita income, by a deficiency in the institutional system, particularly in terms of access to innovation, but also to the abundance of natural resources or the attractiveness of foreign direct investment. Beyond the individual characteristics of economies, spatial analysis shows that geographical factors such as urbanization rate, trade agreements, but especially spatial location play a very important role in the process of structural transformation.We also bring, thanks to the tools derived from classical mechanics, answers to the limits of traditional economic models which are difficult to demonstrate the existence of a process of accelerating economic development.

En Haïti, l’effort public pour l’éducation reste insuffisant. De plus, l’enseignement primaire est peu développé et de qualité faible. Ainsi, en dépit des progrès substantiels qui ont été réalisés durant ces vingt cinq dernières années, le pays reste très en retard face á l’objectif de l’éducation pour tous (EPT). En effet, les dernières données statistiques disponibles indiquent que plus de 4 500 000 filles et garçons sont actuellement en dehors du système scolaire. Outre l’abandon, le redoublement, le mauvais regroupement des élèves, l’encadrement pédagogique est médiocre. Ce qui pèse négativement sur les acquisitions des élèves. Les mauvais résultats obtenus des élèves aux examens officiels en témoignent. Par ailleurs, la rémunération des enseignants est très insignifiante et les conditions d’exercice de la profession enseignante laisse à désirer. Enfin, le système scolaire souffre d’un déficit de pilotage, de gouvernance et d’efficacité externe.Pour accompagner les décideurs politiques haïtiens et planificateurs nationaux dans leurs stratégies d’action en faveur de l’éducation pour tous, les principales organisations multilatérales, notamment la Banque mondiale, mettent en œuvre le Projet d’Education pour tous (EPT I et II). Spécifiquement, le Projet d’Ecoles Publiques à Gestion Communautaire (EPGC) cible la scolarisation primaire universelle (SPU) dans des milieux ruraux défavorisés où l’accès à l’enseignement primaire de base demeure un bien rare, voire inexistant dans les régions ciblées. Par l’aide. Cependant, malgré les divers projets ou programmes d’aide internationaux dédiés notamment à l’expansion de la scolarisation universelle sur l’ensemble du territoire national du pays, atteindre l’éducation pour tous est très aléatoire.Les conclusions de l’enquête empirique montrent que de nombreuses difficultés nuisent à la mise en œuvre effective de l’aide et ceci tant au niveau central, départemental et communal. Les données collectées sur le terrain indiquent un impact significatif sur la participation des acteurs locaux dans la gestion des affaires éducatives. Sur le plan des réalisations éducatives, les analyses de l’investigation confirment des effets sur les taux nets d’accès à l’école ainsi qu’un impact appréciable sur la parité filles-garçons. Les conclusions de l’enquête révèlent quelques effets pervers par exemple sur la qualité de l’école, des dynamiques locales, ainsi que des modes d’organisation administrative et de gestion pédagogique du système scolaire dans les zones allocataires ciblées pour la mise en application du Projet EPGC. Aussi, l’objectif de l’éducation pour tous ne sera pas atteint en Haïti et le chemin semble encore long. . / In Haiti, the public effort for education is insufficient. Primary education is underdeveloped and is of low quality. Despite substantial progress made during the last twenty five years, the country is still far behind from achieving the goal of Education for All (EFA). The latest available statistics indicate that more than 4.5 million girls and boys are currently outside the school system. Abandonment, repetition, bad grouping of students and poor educational support reflect negatively on learning achievement. Teachers' salaries are insignificant and teaching conditions deprived. Hence, the school system suffers a deficit of control, governance and external efficiency.To accompany Haitian national planners and policy makers in their strategies for universal education, major multilateral organizations, including the World Bank, implement the Project Education for All (EFA I and II) also called. Through a program called “Project for Public Schools to Community Management (PPSCM)” they aim to achieve universal primary education in some disadvantaged rural areas where access to basic primary education remains inadequate or nonexistent. However, despite the various projects or international aid programs dedicated to the expansion of universal education all over Haiti, the goal of achieving Education for All is far from being reached.The findings of our empirical analysis show, the positive effect of international aid on school access and its significant impact on gender parity in Haiti. On the other hand, it exposes many difficulties that obstruct an effective implementation of international aid for education in Haiti at central, departmental and communal levels. The data collected in the field point out some negative effects, for example on the quality of the school, local dynamics, as well as administrative organization methods and educational management of the school system in areas where the PPSCM is implemented. The conclusion of this study reveals that the goal of Education for All will not be achieved and there still is a long way to go to provide school to all children in Haiti.

The education of youth in the United States has become a highly contested subject over the past decades. This thesis argues that one of the earliest institutions American citizens encounter – the public school system – organizes the work of many teachers in ways that reproduce inequality of opportunity for students. Drawing on qualitative data from fourteen in-depth interviews with experienced elementary school teachers in Los Angeles, this thesis illustrates how teachers experience and navigate specific structural barriers to the pursuit of equity in the classroom. Applying social reproductive theory to teacher interviews, this research discovered how, despite rhetorical commitment to equality of opportunity in education student outcomes continue to vary according to the socioeconomic status of the student population. This will help us understand systemic barriers built into the structure of the education system. These barriers operate as obstacles that teachers and students must navigate, in order to achieve success. This thesis argues that teachers should begivenmore flexibility to assess the needs of each specific class and adapt their curriculum and strategies to meet those needs. Unfortunately, in the current test-score driven system, schools with the lowest performing students are the ones whose administrations are under the most pressure to improve the low scores rather than fix the problems associated with low scores. As such, the teachers that need this flexibility the most, are the ones whose administrations keep them on the tightest rein, further reducing their ability to utilize their knowledge and implement effective strategies in the classroom. The result is the self-perpetuating cycle of inequality reproduction that we can see across North America today. / Graduate / 2019-08-13

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