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The longer the daily commute to school, the lower the student attendance: evidence from Brazil

Author

Listed:
  • Rubens Lopes Pereira Silva

    (Federal University of Pernambuco)

  • Raul Silveira Neto

    (Federal University of Pernambuco)

  • Diego Firmino Costa Silva

    (Federal Rural University of Pernambuco)

Abstract

School absenteeism hinders the development of important cognitive and non-cognitive skills and behaviors in students. The literature largely ignores, however, the influence of a long journey to school on student absences. An especially serious shortage in the urban context of developing countries with poor transport infrastructure. Using a comprehensive and unique dataset and an instrumental variable strategy, this study provides unique causal evidence for the impact of distance traveled on student absenteeism in Recife, Brazil. The city is an important densely populated urban center in Brazil with significant urban mobility challenges, particularly for low-income residents in peripheral areas. The results reveal a significant effect of the student’s daily commute to school on absenteeism: one additional km on the daily route walking from home to school results in a 22.4% increase in student absences. The evidence is robust to different measures of the length of daily travel to school and empirical modeling and cannot be explained by the spatial sorting of students’ families.

Suggested Citation

  • Rubens Lopes Pereira Silva & Raul Silveira Neto & Diego Firmino Costa Silva, 2025. "The longer the daily commute to school, the lower the student attendance: evidence from Brazil," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 74(3), pages 1-27, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:anresc:v:74:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s00168-025-01410-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s00168-025-01410-5
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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