When does education increase political participation? Evidence from Senegal

Bibliographic Data

ID6342018
AuthorsHoracio Larreguy (0000-0001-8491-6400, Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse), Shelley Liu (0000-0002-1601-9692)
Year2024
Volume12
Issue2
Pages354-371
Publication date2024-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Science Research and Methods (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2049-8470 • E-ISSN: 2049-8489
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/psrm.2023.37
OpenAlexW4386097866
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited47

We argue that education's effect on political participation in developing democracies depends on the strength of democratic institutions. Education increases awareness of, and interest in, politics, which help citizens to prevent democratic erosion through increased political participation. We examine Senegal, a stable but developing democracy where presidential over-reach threatened to weaken democracy. For causal identification, we use a difference-in-differences strategy that exploits variation in the intensity of a major school reform and citizens’ ages during reform implementation. Results indicate that schooling increases interest in politics and greater support for democratic institutions—but no increased political participation in the aggregate. Education increases political participation primarily when democracy is threatened, when support for democratic institutions among educated individuals is also greater

Biology · Democracy · Demographic economics · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Presidential system · Threatened species · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · School Choice and Performance

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access