This is a past event
The seminar will be held via MS Teams on Feburary 21st from 12pm - 1:15pm.
Hear from Dr Akshar Saxena, Assistant Professor of Economics at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Dr Saxena’s research fields are applied economics and econometrics with a focus on health, demography, and behavioural economics.
Abstract:
“Do female bureaucrats improve educational outcomes as compared to male bureaucrats? We study the enrolment of students into primary schools across the districts of India due to changes in district administrators or bureaucrats. Using administrative data on student enrolment from 2005-2017 and employment history and individual characteristics of bureaucrats, we estimate the effect of female administrators on student enrolment. Our results show that the districts, where female administrators are appointed, experience an average increase of 0.95% in enrolment in primary schools. Heterogeneity analysis shows that enrolment increases for higher grade classes, smaller and co-educational schools, schools located in rural areas and in states that perform relatively worse on women empowerment indicators, and only for female students. Results suggest that increased enrolment may be due to both improvements in infrastructure and the role-model effect. Although welfare improving, increase in enrolment is accompanied with un-intended consequences of increase in failure-rate of students at higher grades. The evidence demonstrates that individual characteristics of bureaucrats has important implications for development and providing equal opportunities for education for females.”
- Speaker
- Dr Akshar Saxena
- Hosted by
- University of Aberdeen
- Contact
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No booking required.