Can free provision reduce demand for public services ? evidence from Kenyan education

Tessa Bold, Mwangi Kimenyi, Germano Mwabu and Justin Sandefur

No 6685, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: In 2003 Kenya abolished user fees in all government primary schools. Analysis of household survey data shows this policy contributed to a shift in demand away from free schools, where net enrollment stagnated after 2003, toward fee-charging private schools, where both enrollment and fee levels grew rapidly after 2003. These shifts had mixed distributional consequences. Enrollment by poorer households increased, but segregation between socio-economic groups also increased. The shift in demand toward private schooling was driven by more affluent households who (i) paid higher ex ante fees and thus experienced a larger reduction in school funding, and (ii) appear to have exited public schools partially in reaction to increased enrollment by poorer children.

Keywords: Primary Education; Education For All; Teaching and Learning; Tertiary Education; Secondary Education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-11-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-edu, nep-nps and nep-ure
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Journal Article: Can Free Provision Reduce Demand for Public Services? Evidence from Kenyan Education (2015)
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