Educational expansion and economic decline: returns to education in Kenya, 1978-1995
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Date
1999Author
Manda, Damiano K
Bigsten, Arne
Appleton, Simon
Language
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Educational expansion followed by economic decline in Kenya has been associated with a decline in
the social return to secondary education, conventionally calculated, from 20% in 1978 to 6% in 1995. Wage
benefits from primary school have fallen but returns remain unchanged because of correspondingly falls in
costs. Returns to tertiary education have not fallen. The concept of expected returns to education is introduced
to allow for effects of education on earnings from self-employment and on the probability of employment.
These mirror conventionally calculated returns for men, but are higher for women due to large participation
effects of education.