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Parental risk aversion and educational investment: panel evidence from rural Uganda

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  • Rayner Tabetando

    (National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
    JICA Research Institute)

Abstract

In this paper we combine a unique large scale field experimental data on preferences and longitudinal household survey data from rural Uganda to estimate the impact of parental risk aversion, time preferences and loss aversion on educational investment. Our results show that parental risk aversion is increasing in wealth. On a whole, we find that risk aversion is positively correlated with educational investment measured in per school age child educational expenditure. Further analysis revealed that parental risk aversion is negatively associated with educational investment for poorer households. Pathway analysis suggests that risk averse households are less credit constrained. The hypothesis that parental risk aversion depresses educational investment may only be tenable for poor households’ in rural Uganda.

Suggested Citation

  • Rayner Tabetando, 2019. "Parental risk aversion and educational investment: panel evidence from rural Uganda," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 647-670, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:17:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s11150-018-9437-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-018-9437-x
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    Cited by:

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    2. Raymond Boadi Frempong & David Stadelmann, 2021. "Risk preference and child labor: Econometric evidence," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 878-894, May.
    3. François-Charles Wolff, 2020. "The intergenerational transmission of risk attitudes: Evidence from Burkina Faso," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 181-206, March.
    4. Patrick Opoku Asuming, 2023. "Risk attitudes and asset diversification: Evidence from Ghana," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(5), pages 915-960, July.
    5. Ye, Juntao & Cai, Liming & Shi, Xinjie & Cheng, Mingwang, 2024. "Pursuing a brighter future: Impact of the Hukou reform on human capital investment in migrant children in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    6. Basu, Arnab K. & Dimova, Ralitza, 2021. "Household Preferences and Child Labor in Rural Ethiopia," IZA Discussion Papers 14062, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Risk attitude; Time preference; Experiment; Education; Sub-Saharan Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy

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