“We Don’t Need No Education” Aid: The Effects of Education-Specific Foreign Aid on School Enrollment in Low-Income Countries

Authors

Dustin Homer, Brigham Young University
Dr. Daniel Nielson, Brigham Young University

Keywords

education-specific, foreign aid, school enrollment, low-income countries

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

Abstract

We use AidData to assess the effectiveness of education aid. Focusing on the subset of the world’s poorest nations, we empirically evaluate the effects of educational foreign aid on primary school enrollment rates over the period 1975-2005. While past literature suggests that aid has had positive effects on education, this new and more comprehensive database allows a broader evaluation of aid’s impact in poor countries. Our findings – subjected to a variety of robustness tests – indicate that education aid dollars have, at best, mixed effects and, at worst, no significant impact, on school enrollments in less-developed nations.

Recommended Citation

Homer, Dustin and Nielson, Dr. Daniel (2013) "“We Don’t Need No Education” Aid: The Effects of Education-Specific Foreign Aid on School Enrollment in Low-Income Countries," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 437.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/437