Explaining Gold-Mining and Non-Gold Mining Areas' Inequalities in Learning Achievements in Burkina Faso's Primary Education: A Decomposition Analysis

Authors

  • Jean-Baptiste M. B. Sanfo Institute for Promotion of General Education, the University of Shiga Prefecture, 2500 Hassaka, Hikone, 5228533, Japan
  • Keiichi Ogawa Graduate School of International, Cooperation Studies, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37256/ser.3120221087

Keywords:

learning achievements, resource curse, RIF decomposition, Oaxaca decomposition, learning inequalities

Abstract

Research shows that learning achievements inequalities exist between students from gold mining areas and those from non-gold mining ones. However, there is no evidence on factors that explain this "new" geographic educational inequality. Exploiting the gold mining boom in Burkina Faso, this study employed re-centered influence function decomposition to explore students' background and school factors which explain these learning achievements inequalities and also estimate the proportion of inequalities explained by unmeasured factors. Findings suggest that, relative to student background factors, most of the learning achievements inequalities between the two types of areas are explained by school factors. Moreover, unmeasured educational factors explain a non-negligible proportion of the inequalities, higher for students on the lower and upper tails of the learning achievements distribution. Suggestions for policymakers are discussed based on the findings of the present study.

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Published

2021-11-08

How to Cite

Jean-Baptiste M. B. Sanfo, & Ogawa, K. (2021). Explaining Gold-Mining and Non-Gold Mining Areas’ Inequalities in Learning Achievements in Burkina Faso’s Primary Education: A Decomposition Analysis. Social Education Research, 3(1), 12–33. https://doi.org/10.37256/ser.3120221087