| The objective of this study is to empirically examine the effects of economic conditions, political factors, and population growth on schooling quality at the primary level across various parts of the world and over time. Quality of education is measured primarily in terms of pupil-to-teacher ratios. The data employed is a panel data-set of 123 countries representing Asia, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Transitional economies, and developed OECD countries between 1950 and 2005 in five year intervals. The results show that the quality of primary education is positively affected by increases in GDP per capita and more democratic governance, and negatively influenced by income inequality and population growth. This study relies on comparisons of fixed-effects and random-effects regression analyses, involving interaction terms both between these determinants and region dummy variables, and between income inequality and other factors in order to measure differences in the effects of these factors across regions on the quality of primary education. An important finding is that income inequality tends to be detrimental to primary schooling quality in countries with relatively high per capita income. |
