ENTRE NECESIDADES Y LUJOS: El gasto educativo de los hogares en México.

The microeconomic research about private expenditures on educational goods and services shows that the variation in investment levels reflects differences in income, socio-demographic characteristics, and the average number of household members. There are few studies in Latin America, however, that also explore the income elasticity of educational demand. This article addresses this important gap in Mexico, using data from the 2020 National Survey of Household Income and Expenditures. By means of Engel curves and tobit regression analysis, this article outlines the values assigned to education according to family traits. In particular, the results show that, as we focus on economically wealthier households, education is no longer a superior good, without becoming a necessity good. In addition, the data show evidence of gender differences that are opposite to those pointed out in the peer-reviewed literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]