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Traders, Teachers, and Tyrants: Democracy, Globalization, and Public Investment in Education

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  • Ansell, Ben W.

Abstract

This article develops a model of the redistributive political economy of education spending, focusing on the role of democracy and economic openness in determining the provision of education. I argue that democratization should be associated with higher levels of public education spending, lower private education spending, and a shift from tertiary education spending toward primary education spending. Furthermore, I argue that integration with the international economy should lead to higher public education spending, conditioned on regime type and income, and should push the balance between tertiary and primary education toward states' particular comparative advantages. These propositions are tested on a data set of more than one hundred states from 1960 to 2000, using a variety of panel data techniques, including instruments for democracy. The logic of the causal mechanism developed in the formal model is also tested on a number of case histories, including the Philippines, which shows great variation in democracy and openness, and India and Malaysia, which constitute unusual cases that lie “off the diagonal” of open democracies and autarkic autocracies.The author would like to thank Beth Simmons, Torben Iversen, Michael Hiscox, Jeffry Frieden, Jim Alt, Teri Caraway, John Freeman, Jane Gingrich, David Samuels, W. Phillips Shively, Mark Kayser, John Ahlquist, and Michael Kellerman for highly useful comments and criticisms. In addition, I thank the current and past editors, Lou Pauly, Emanuel Adler, David Stasavage, and Lisa Martin, and three anonymous reviewers for their suggestions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ansell, Ben W., 2008. "Traders, Teachers, and Tyrants: Democracy, Globalization, and Public Investment in Education," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 62(2), pages 289-322, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:intorg:v:62:y:2008:i:02:p:289-322_08
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    Cited by:

    1. Thushyanthan Baskaran & Zohal Hessami, 2012. "Public education spending in a globalized world:," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 19(5), pages 677-707, October.
    2. Chang, Eric C.C. & Wu, Wen-Chin, 2022. "Autocracy and human capital," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    3. Carlos Felipe Balcázar, 2016. "Long-run effects of democracy on income inequality in Latin America," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 14(3), pages 289-307, September.
    4. Florian M. Hollenbach, 2021. "Elite interests and public spending: Evidence from Prussian cities," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 189-211, January.
    5. Soumyajit Mazumder, 2016. "Can I stay a BIT longer? The effect of bilateral investment treaties on political survival," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 477-521, December.
    6. Vortherms, Samantha A., 2019. "Disaggregating China’s local political budget cycles: “Righting” the U," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 95-109.
    7. Zeynep Ozkok, 2017. "Financing Education in Europe: The Globalization Perspective," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 69-90, March.
    8. Santiago López-Cariboni & Xun Cao, 2019. "When do authoritarian rulers educate: Trade competition and human capital investment in Non-Democracies," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 367-405, September.
    9. Stephanie Kumah & Samuel Brazys, 2016. "Democracy or Accountability? Governance and Social Spending in Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(2), pages 286-299, February.
    10. Balcazar Salazar,Carlos Felipe, 2015. "Long-run effects of democracy on income inequality : evidence from repeated cross-sections," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7153, The World Bank.
    11. Hecock, R. Douglas & Jepsen, Eric M., 2013. "Should Countries Engage in a Race to the Bottom? The Effect of Social Spending on FDI," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 156-164.
    12. Marina-Selini Katsaiti & Maroula Khraiche, 2023. "Does access to credit alter migration intentions?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 65(4), pages 1823-1854, October.
    13. Dahlum, Sirianne & Knutsen, Carl Henrik, 2017. "Do Democracies Provide Better Education? Revisiting the Democracy–Human Capital Link," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 186-199.
    14. Thushyanthan Baskaran & Zohal Hessami, 2011. "Public Education Spending in a Globalized World: Is there a Shift in Priorities Across Educational Stages?," Working Paper Series of the Department of Economics, University of Konstanz 2011-42, Department of Economics, University of Konstanz.
    15. Krueger, Patrick M. & Dovel, Kathryn & Denney, Justin T., 2015. "Democracy and self-rated health across 67 countries: A multilevel analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 137-144.
    16. Naomi Hossain & Mirza Hassan & Md Ashikur Rahman & Khondoker Shakhawat Ali & M. Sajidul Islam, 2017. "The problem with teachers: the political settlement and education quality reforms in Bangladesh," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-086-17, GDI, The University of Manchester.

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