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A Teacher Unlike Me: Social Distance, Learning, and Intergenerational Mobility in Developing Countries

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  • Naureen Karachiwalla

Abstract

Same-type teachers are believed to improve the learning outcomes of disadvantaged students. This paper examines an understudied characteristic--caste--with rich longitudinal data from Pakistan to identify causal effects. The matching and switching of students to teachers is pseudorandom, and effects are not driven by unobserved teacher characteristics correlated with caste. Low-caste boys learn significantly more when taught by high-caste teachers. They have higher aspirations, and their parents spend significantly longer helping with homework when taught by these teachers. These results illustrate that, contrary to previous findings, different-type teachers may sometimes promote educational attainment and aspirations and, thus, intergenerational mobility.

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  • Naureen Karachiwalla, 2019. "A Teacher Unlike Me: Social Distance, Learning, and Intergenerational Mobility in Developing Countries," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 67(2), pages 225-271.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/698131
    DOI: 10.1086/698131
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    Cited by:

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    2. Abiose E. AKHADEME & Emmanuel M. IKEGWU & Lucky E. AKHADEME, 2023. "Virtual Technologies and Conferences Attendance: Perceptions of YCT Academic Staff," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(7), pages 09-20, July.
    3. Cazzuffi, Chiara & Díaz, Vivián & Fernández, Juan & Leyton, Cristian, 2020. "Spatial inequality and aspirations for economic inclusion among Latin American youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    4. Fagernäs, Sonja & Pelkonen, Panu, 2017. "Where's the Teacher? How Teacher Workplace Segregation Impedes Teacher Allocation in India," IZA Discussion Papers 10595, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Lee Crawfurd & Caine Rolleston, 2020. "Long‐run effects of teachers in developing countries," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 1279-1299, November.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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