Essays at the Intersection of Development and Education Economics

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.
Public Policy