Premium
Education as Liberation?
Author(s) -
Friedman Willa,
Kremer Michael,
Miguel Edward,
Thornton Rebecca
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
economica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.532
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1468-0335
pISSN - 0013-0427
DOI - 10.1111/ecca.12168
Subject(s) - status quo , legitimacy , disadvantaged , politics , voting , scholarship , political science , political efficacy , social psychology , sociology , psychology , law
This paper studies the political and social impacts of increased education by utilizing a randomized girls' merit scholarship programme in Kenya that raised test scores and secondary schooling. Consistent with the view that education empowers the disadvantaged to challenge authority, we find that the programme reduced the acceptance of domestic violence and political authority. Young women in programme schools also increased their objective political knowledge. We find that this rejection of the status quo did not translate into greater perceived political efficacy, community participation or voting intentions. Instead, there is suggestive evidence that the perceived legitimacy of political violence increased.