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Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya?- Working Paper 271

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  • Tessa Bold, Mwangi Kimenyi, Germano Mwabu, Justin Sandefur

Abstract

A large empirical literature has shown that user fees significantly deter public service utilization in developing countries. While most of these results reflect partial equilibrium analysis, we find that the nationwide abolition of public school fees in Kenya in 2003 led to no increase in net public enrollment rates, but rather a dramatic shift toward private schooling. Results suggest this divergence between partial- and general-equilibrium effects is partially explained by social interactions: the entry of poorer pupils into free education contributed to the exit of their more affluent peers.

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  • Tessa Bold, Mwangi Kimenyi, Germano Mwabu, Justin Sandefur, 2011. "Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya?- Working Paper 271," Working Papers 271, Center for Global Development.
    • Handle: RePEc:cgd:wpaper:271
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    Cited by:

    1. Wamalwa, Fredrick M. & Burns, Justine, 2018. "Private schools and student learning achievements in Kenya," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 114-124.
    2. Tahir Andrabi & Jishnu Das & Asim Ijaz Khwaja, 2015. "Delivering education: a pragmatic framework for improving education in low-income countries," Chapters, in: Pauline Dixon & Steve Humble & Chris Counihan (ed.), Handbook of International Development and Education, chapter 6, pages 85-130, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Maluccio, John A. & Hussein, Mohamed & Abuya, Benta & Muluve, Eva & Muthengi, Eunice & Austrian, Karen, 2018. "Adolescent girls’ primary school mobility and educational outcomes in urban Kenya," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 75-87.
    4. Taylor, Stephen & Spaull, Nicholas, 2015. "Measuring access to learning over a period of increased access to schooling: The case of Southern and Eastern Africa since 2000," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 47-59.
    5. Filmer, Deon, 2023. "Long-lived consequences of rapid scale-up? The case of free primary education in six Sub-Saharan African countries," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    6. Berk Ozler, 2015. "Keeping Girls in School," World Bank Publications - Reports 23866, The World Bank Group.
    7. Elin Vimefall & Daniela Andrén & Jörgen Levin, 2017. "Ethnolinguistic Background and Enrollment in Primary Education: Evidence from Kenya," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 29(1), pages 81-91, March.
    8. Barakat, Bilal, 2016. "“Sorry I forgot your birthday!”: Adjusting apparent school participation for survey timing when age is measured in whole years," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 300-313.
    9. Sandile Hlatshwayo & Anne Oeking & Mr. Manuk Ghazanchyan & David Corvino & Ananya Shukla & Mr. Lamin Y Leigh, 2018. "The Measurement and Macro-Relevance of Corruption: A Big Data Approach," IMF Working Papers 2018/195, International Monetary Fund.
    10. Bold, Tessa & Kimenyi, Mwangi & Mwabu, Germano & Ng’ang’a, Alice & Sandefur, Justin, 2018. "Experimental evidence on scaling up education reforms in Kenya," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 1-20.
    11. Tessa Bold, Mwangi Kimenyi, Germano Mwabu, Justin Sandefur, 2011. "The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country- Working Paper 279," Working Papers 279, Center for Global Development.
    12. Jenny Aker, 2013. "Scaling Up What Works: Experimental Evidence on External Validity in Kenyan Education," Working Papers 321, Center for Global Development.

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