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Educational attainment and earnings inequality in Cameroon: A quantile regression analysis of heterogeneous returns

Author

Listed:
  • Oluyele Akinkugbe

    (James Hope University, Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria)

  • Sandotin Coulibaly

    (University Felix Houphouet Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire)

  • Ouei Karim Diakite

    (Universite Peloforo Gon Coulibaly)

  • Mamadou Coulibaly

    (Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS), Abidjan, Cote d' Ivoire)

  • Eugene Kouassi

    (University Felix Houphouet Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire)

Abstract

This paper analyzes education's heterogeneous returns across Cameroon's earnings distribution using quantile regression (2007-2014 household surveys). Key findings reveal: (1) Urban-rural divergence with tertiary education yielding 74% higher returns for rural women at the 90th decile (? = 2.26) versus urban counterparts; (2) Primary education's equalizing effects in urban areas (? = 0.51 for women) but disequalizing impacts in rural upper deciles (? = -1.03 for men); (3) Secondary education's collapsing returns below the 40th rural decile. The results demand spatial-precision policymaking under Vision 2035: geographic mobility corridors to connect high-return rural earners with urban opportunities; tertiary access pacts targeting rural women's demonstrated 90th-decile potential; and gender-responsive vocational tracks to revive secondary education's middle-decile value. Contrary to linear human capital models, we demonstrate how education's inequality impacts are fundamentally reconfigured through three intersecting channels: decile-specific returns, spatial premiums, and gender-mediated valuation. These findings provide an actionable roadmap for converting education from an inequality accelerator to an equitable development catalyst in segmented African labor markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Oluyele Akinkugbe & Sandotin Coulibaly & Ouei Karim Diakite & Mamadou Coulibaly & Eugene Kouassi, 2026. "Educational attainment and earnings inequality in Cameroon: A quantile regression analysis of heterogeneous returns," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 46(1), pages 152-167.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-25-00426
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

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