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Sibling Spillovers and Free Schooling

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  • João R. Ferreira
  • Wayne Aaron Sandholtz
  • Wayne Sandholtz

Abstract

We use administrative data to measure sibling spillovers on academic performance before and after Tanzania’s introduction of Free Secondary Education (FSE). Prior to FSE, students whose older siblings narrowly passed the secondary school entrance exam were less likely to go to secondary school themselves; with FSE, the effect became positive. A triple differences analysis, using geographic variation in FSE exposure, shows that FSE caused the reversal. Negative pre-FSE spillovers were concentrated in poorer regions. Positive post-FSE spillovers were largest for lower-performing younger siblings. Our results demonstrate that FSE alleviated financial constraints, allowing families to distribute educational investments more equitably rather than concentrating resources on high-performing children.

Suggested Citation

  • João R. Ferreira & Wayne Aaron Sandholtz & Wayne Sandholtz, 2024. "Sibling Spillovers and Free Schooling," CESifo Working Paper Series 11436, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11436
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    Cited by:

    1. Wayne Aaron Sandholtz & Wayne Sandholtz, 2024. "Secondary School Access Raises Primary School Achievement," CESifo Working Paper Series 11343, CESifo.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    sibling spillovers; free secondary education; intra-household allocation; resource constraints; high-stakes exams; Tanzania;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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