Comparing the Private Cost of Education at Public, Private, and Faith-Based Schools in Cameroon

Backiny-Yetna, Prospere and Wodon, Quentin (2009): Comparing the Private Cost of Education at Public, Private, and Faith-Based Schools in Cameroon. Published in: Emerging Evidence on Vouchers and Faith-Based Providers in Education: Case Studies from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, edited by F. Barrera-Osorio, H. A. Patinos, and Q. Wodon, Directions in Development, World Bank, Washington, DC (June 2009): pp. 165-178.

Abstract

This paper uses recent household survey data for Cameroon to measure the cost for households of the education services that their children receive and assess how this cost varies according to the type of service provider. Contrary to what has been observed in some other countries, the data suggest that faith-based schools in Cameroon serve primarily better-off children, with public schools serving the poor more. Faith-based schools are also more expensive for households than private schools (possibly due to lower levels of public funding). This may be one of the reasons why the poor tend to go to public schools more than to faith-based schools.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Education; cost of schooling; faith-based schools; public schools; Cameroon
• Subjects: Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics ; Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology > Z12 - Religion; H - Public Economics > H1 - Structure and Scope of Government > H11 - Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education and Research Institutions > I21 - Analysis of Education; L - Industrial Organization > L3 - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise > L33 - Comparison of Public and Private Enterprises and Nonprofit Institutions ; Privatization ; Contracting Out; H - Public Economics > H4 - Publicly Provided Goods > H44 - Publicly Provided Goods: Mixed Markets

References

Allcott, H., and D. E. Ortega. 2009. “The Performance of Decentralized School Systems: Evidence from Fe y Alegría in Venezuela.” In Emerging Evidence on Private Participation in Education: Vouchers and Faith-Based Providers, ed. F. Barrera-Osorio, H. A. Patrinos, and Q. Wodon. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Altonji, J. G., T. E. Elder, and C. R. Taber. 2005. “An Evaluation of Instrumental Variable Strategies for Estimating the Effects of Catholic Schooling.” Journal of Human Resources 40 (4): 791–821.

Asadullah, M. N., N. Chaudhury, and A. Dar. 2009. “Student Achievement in Religious and Secular Secondary Schools in Bangladesh.” In Emerging Evidence on Private Participation in Education: Vouchers and Faith-Based Providers, ed. F. Barrera-Osorio, H. A. Patrinos, and Q. Wodon. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Backiny-Yetna, P., and Q. Wodon. 2009. “Comparing Faith-Based and Government Schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” In Emerging Evidence on Private Participation in Education: Vouchers and Faith-Based Providers, ed. F. Barrera-Osorio, H. A. Patrinos, and Q. Wodon. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Cox, D., and E. Jimenez. 1990. “The Relative Effectiveness of Private and Public Schools: Evidence from Two Developing Countries.” Journal of Development Economics 34 (1–2) (November): 99–121.

Evans, W., and R. Schwab. 1995. “Finishing High School and Starting College: Do Catholic Schools Make a Difference?” Quarterly Journal of Economics 110 (4) (November): 941–74.

González, R. A., and G. Arévalo. 2005. “Subsidized Catholic Schools in Venezuela.” In Private Education and Public Policy in Latin America, ed. L. Wolff, J. C. Navarro, and P. González. Washington, DC: Project for Educational Revitalization in the Americas.

Hoxby, C. M. 1994. “Do Private Schools Provide Competition for Public Schools?” NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) Working Paper 4978. NBER, Cambridge, MA.

Hsieh, C., and M. Urquiola. 2006. “The Effects of Generalized School Choice on Achievement and Stratification: Evidence from Chile’s School Voucher Program.” Journal of Public Economics 90: 1477–1503.

Ravallion M., and Q. Wodon. 2000. “Does Child Labor Displace Schooling? Evidence on Behavioral Responses to an Enrollment Subsidy.” Economic Journal 110: C158–75.

Reinikka, R., and J. Svensson. 2009. “Working for God? Evidence from a Change in Financing of Not-for-Profit Health Care Providers in Uganda.” Journal of the European Economic Association, forthcoming.

Wodon Q. 2000. “Low Income Energy Assistance and Disconnection in France.” Applied Economics Letters 7: 775–79.

Wodon, Q., and Y. Ying. 2009. “Literacy and Numeracy in Faith-Based and Government Schools in Sierra Leone.” In Emerging Evidence on PrivateParticipation in Education: Vouchers and Faith-Based Providers, ed. F. Barrera- Osorio, H. A. Patrinos, and Q. Wodon. Washington, DC: World Bank.

World Bank. 2003. Rapport d’Etat du Système Educatif Camerounais: Eléments de diagnostic pour la politique éducative dans le contexte de l’EPT et du DSRP. Mimeo. World Bank, Washington, DC.

World Bank. 2005. République du Cameroun: Acquis et défis dans la lutte contre la pauvreté. Report No. 32820-CM.