Educational expenditure in the Middle East and North Africa (original) (raw)
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Equality of Opportunity in Education in the Middle East and North Africa
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
This paper is an empirical investigation of inequality of education opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We use student scores from tests administered by the international consortium Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for a number of MENA countries and over time since 1999 to estimate the effect of circumstances children are born into on their academic achievement in science and mathematics. From the variation in inequality of education opportunities across countries and over time we draw lessons on the influence of different education systems or changes in policy on equality of opportunity. We find that inequality of opportunities explains a significant part of the inequality in educational achievements in most MENA countries, but in a few cases, notably Algeria, its role is small. Family background variables are the most important determinants of inequality in achievement, followed by community characteristics. Inequality of education opportunities are high in several MENA countries, and have either stayed the same or worsened in recent years. The results show that, despite great efforts in past decades to invest in free public education, in most MENA countries there is plenty of room left in further levelling the playing field in education. We discuss how education policy can contribute to greater equality of education and income in the region.
Equality of Opportunity in Education in the Middle East and
Social Science Research Network, 2012
This paper is an empirical investigation of inequality of education opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We use student scores from tests administered by the international consortium Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for a number of MENA countries and over time since 1999 to estimate the effect of circumstances children are born into on their academic achievement in science and mathematics. From the variation in inequality of education opportunities across countries and over time we draw lessons on the influence of different education systems or changes in policy on equality of opportunity. We find that inequality of opportunities explains a significant part of the inequality in educational achievements in most MENA countries, but in a few cases, notably Algeria, its role is small. Family background variables are the most important determinants of inequality in achievement, followed by community characteristics. Inequality of education opportunities are high in several MENA countries, and have either stayed the same or worsened in recent years. The results show that, despite great efforts in past decades to invest in free public education, in most MENA countries are less opportunity equal in educational achievement that European countries, and several are less equal than Latin America countries and the United States. There is plenty of room for policy to further level the playing field in education. We discuss how our results shed light on policy choices in education that can contribute to greater equality of education and income in the region.
International Journal of Educational Development
Education is widely considered as the most important path to social mobility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), yet there are very few studies of the extent to which it fulfills this promise. In this paper we use survey data from seven MENA countries to understand the relationship between schooling attainment of youth and the circumstances into which they are born, namely gender, parent education, and type of community. We consider both the probability of entry and of reaching secondary school using censored ordered probit. We find an alarming degree of inequality of opportunity in attainment in most of these countries, especially in Iraq and Yemen. Previous results of inequality of opportunity in MENA in achievement show that building a level playing field in learning requires much more than free provision of schools; the results of this study find the same for attending and staying in school.
Equality of opportunity in educational achievement in the Middle East and North Africa
The Journal of Economic Inequality, 2013
This paper is an empirical investigation of inequality of education opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We use student scores from tests administered by the international consortium Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for a number of MENA countries and over time since 1999 to estimate the effect of circumstances children are born into on their academic achievement in science and mathematics. From the variation in inequality of education opportunities across countries and over time we draw lessons on the influence of different education systems or changes in policy on equality of opportunity. We find that inequality of opportunities explains a significant part of the inequality in educational achievements in most MENA countries, but in a few cases, notably Algeria, its role is small. Family background variables are the most important determinants of inequality in achievement, followed by community characteristics. Inequality of education opportunities are high in several MENA countries, and have either stayed the same or worsened in recent years. The results show that, despite great efforts in past decades to invest in free public education, most MENA countries are less opportunity equal in educational achievement that European countries, and several are less equal than Latin American countries and the United States. There is plenty of room for policy to further level the playing field in education. We discuss how our results shed light on policy choices in education that can contribute to greater equality of education and income in the region.
The Effect of Education on Income Inequality in Selected Islamic Countries
The impact of education on income inequality remains a challenging issue at the core of economic debates. The present study attempts to investigate the effect of income inequality in a selection of Islamic countries during 1990-2013. Method of panel data has been implemented, and the fixed effects are examined against the random ones by the Hausman test. The impacts of gross domestic product (GDP) and training at primary, secondary and university levels on income inequality is investigated in the selected Islamic countries. Findings indicate that the enrolment rate in primary and secondary schools has a significant negative effect on income inequality, and the enrolment rate in university has a significant positive effect on income inequality. Thus, training in primary and secondary schools might reduce income inequality, and education in universities can increase income inequality because of the higher financial capability of certain classes of people and the expertise they have acquired. Likewise, the Kuznets inverted-U hypothesis is approved due to the positive and statistically significant estimated coefficient of
Inequality of Pre-University Educational Opportunities in Egypt: An Empirical Analysis
e-Journal of Business Education and Scholarship of Teaching, 2020
Fair distribution of educational opportunities among people means that individuals' access to education doesn't depend on conditions beyond their control such as social class, religion, gender, place of birth or other parental characteristics. This paper addresses the issue of inequality of educational opportunities for pre-university education in Egypt using Human Opportunity Index, based on the data of the Income, Expenditure and Consumption Survey 2014/2015 implemented by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. The paper also uses a logistic regression technique to assess the factors that affect children's educational enrolment. The paper presents several results, the most important one is that primary education in Egypt is fair and equal if compared to preparatory and secondary education in terms of providing educational services. The results of the Logistic Regression (LR) model show that there are many significant variables that affect children's school enrolment i.e. the educational level of the household head and the place of residence.
Education Expenditure and Inequality
The paper describe the problem of inequality in society and how increase in education spending can help to reduce inequality. It also suggested that in order to reduce inequality between rich and poor, more allocation should be provided to early education.
Education Attainment in the Middle East and North Africa: Success at a Cost
Policy Research Working Papers, 2014
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Problems with inequality have been at the forefront of recent events in the Middle East and North Africa region. Yet by conventional measures such as wages and consumption, inequality is not particularly high. In this paper we explore an alternative dimension of inequality, specifically inequality of opportunity in higher education. We assess the determinants of attaining higher education in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia and quantify the extent and drivers of inequality of opportunity. We find that inequality is similarly high in Egypt and Tunisia, but moderate in Jordan. In all three countries family socio-economic characteristics are the primary driver of inequality. Family characteristics affect attainment even after accounting for test scores, which are themselves influenced by socio-economic status. Particularly in Egypt and Tunisia, where higher education is free of charge, public spending on higher education is ultimately regressive. Thus, a theoretically meritocratic and equitable system perpetuates inequality.