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The Dynamics of Returns to Education in Kenyan and Tanzanian Manufacturing

Author

Listed:
  • Måns Söderbom

    (Centre for the Study of African Economies)

  • Francis Teal

    (Centre for the Study Of African Economies)

  • Anthony Wambugu

    (Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya)

  • Godius Kahyarara

    (Economic & Research Foundation, Dar es Salaam)

Abstract

The returns to education remain a central concern for development policy. In developed countries there is evidence that the returns to education have been rising.Evidence for changes over this period for developing countries is limited. In this paper we use data from Kenya and Tanzania to estimate returns to education for manufacturing workers and examine how these returns have changed from 1980 to the late 1990s. We find strong evidence that the earnings function is convex for both countries and document significant differences in the earnings profiles across cohorts, typically with stronger convexity amongst the young. We also find evidence of increasing convexity over the 1990s in Tanzania, but remarkable stability in Kenya.We test for the importance of ability bias and find convexity robust to endogeneity. Treating education as an endogenous explanatory variable generally results in higher estimated returns to education than what is obtained by OLS. Potential reasons for this result are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Måns Söderbom & Francis Teal & Anthony Wambugu & Godius Kahyarara, 2004. "The Dynamics of Returns to Education in Kenyan and Tanzanian Manufacturing," Development and Comp Systems 0409041, EconWPA.
    • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpdc:0409041
    Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 30
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bennell, Paul, 1996. "Rates of return to education: Does the conventional pattern prevail in sub-Saharan Africa?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 183-199, January.
    2. Robinson, Peter M, 1988. "Root- N-Consistent Semiparametric Regression," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 56(4), pages 931-954, July.
    3. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon & Jeemol Unni, 2001. "Education and Women's Labour Market Outcomes in India," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2), pages 173-195.
    4. George Psacharopoulos & Harry Anthony Patrinos, 2004. "Returns to investment in education: a further update," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(2), pages 111-134.
    5. Soderbom, Mans & Teal, Francis, 2004. "Size and efficiency in African manufacturing firms: evidence from firm-level panel data," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 369-394, February.
    6. Amemiya, Takeshi, 1974. "The nonlinear two-stage least-squares estimator," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 105-110, July.
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    9. Pramila Krishnan & Tesfaye Gebre Selassie & Stefan Dercon, 1998. "The urban labour market during structural adjustment: Ethiopia 1990-1997," CSAE Working Paper Series 1998-09, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
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    11. Simon Appleton & Arne Bigsten & Damiano Kulundu Manda, 1999. "Educational expansion and economic decline: returns to education in Kenya, 1978-1995," CSAE Working Paper Series 1999-06, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    12. Bigsten, Arne, et al, 2000. "Rates of Return on Physical and Human Capital in Africa's Manufacturing Sector," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 48(4), pages 801-827, July.
    13. Garen, John, 1984. "The Returns to Schooling: A Selectivity Bias Approach with a Continuous Choice Variable," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(5), pages 1199-1218, September.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Returns to education; Africa; Kenya; Tanzania; manufacturing;

    JEL classification:

    • O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth
    • P - Economic Systems

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