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Intergenerational effect of education reform program and maternal education on children's educational and labor outcomes: evidence from Nepal

Author

Listed:
  • Vinish Shrestha
  • Rashesh Shrestha

Abstract

We examine a potential intergenerational determinant of child labor by investigating the effect of maternal education on children0s educational and labor outcomes. To account for endogeneity of mother's education, we use the Nepal Education System Plan (NESP) (1971), one of the first education reforms in the country, as an exogenous source of variation. We find that NESP increased educational outcomes among females that were most likely affected by the reform due to their birth year and district of birth. Furthermore, an increase in mother's highest level of schooling increases a child's probability of finishing 5th grade only among mothers from a higher caste households. We find modest effects of mother's education on child labor outcomes, with the IV estimate indicating that a year increase in mother's education reduces a child's weekly work by approximately an hour. The IV estimates are about two-fold larger than the OLS estimates in most cases. We caution that exclusion based on social hierarchy should be considered when promoting maternal education as a medium to improve children's well-being in developing nations like Nepal.

Suggested Citation

  • Vinish Shrestha & Rashesh Shrestha, 2017. "Intergenerational effect of education reform program and maternal education on children's educational and labor outcomes: evidence from Nepal," Departmental Working Papers 2017-07, The Australian National University, Arndt-Corden Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:pas:papers:2017-07
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    File URL: https://acde.crawford.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/publication/acde_crawford_anu_edu_au/2017-05/2017-07_shrestha_child_labor_shresthashrestha_may2017.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    returns to education; maternal education; child labor; schooling;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General

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