Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/259871 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2003
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 2003:5
Publisher: 
Lund University, School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Lund
Abstract: 
Studies on the returns to education in developing countries generally indicate a higher social benefits at primary level compared to secondary and tertiary levels. This paper analyzes private benefits and costs of primary versus secondary education in rural Bangladesh on the basis of household-level data. It indicates that while social benefits for primary education are high in Bangladesh, private benefits are higher for secondary-level education than primary level. On the other hand, private costs are lower for primary education than for secondary education. Poor households in Bangladesh cannot afford to keep their children until they complete the secondary level because of high costs – both direct costs and opportunity costs. Inequality in the access to secondary education is the main cause of persistent poverty in Bangladesh. The recent improvement of female participation rates in both primary and secondary levels confirms the favourable impact of targeted approach. Policies should be directed to both boys and girls from poor households
Subjects: 
Social returns and private returns to education
poverty
inequality in the access to education
JEL: 
I20
I31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.