Primary education is often seen as a pro-poor redistributive policy tied to democratization. However, this study reveals that autocrats also frequently pursued such goals historically.
Drawing on new datasets covering 109 countries over two centuries, empirical analyses using difference-in-differences and interrupted time series methods show that democratic transitions had minimal impact on primary school enrollment rates.
Contrary to expectations based on median voter theorems, democratization rarely expanded education access in areas untouched by schooling. This research demonstrates why average findings obscure deeper insights: mass primary schooling systems emerged predominantly under authoritarian rule centuries earlier than democracy.
In fact, across global history, nations often had well-established public school systems before their democratic transitions occurred. Examining this context challenges simplistic narratives linking educational development solely to democratic ideals.
Key Takeaway:
The "this means that" style conclusion underscores how democratization is frequently mischaracterized as the initiator of mass education.
| The Non-Democratic Roots of Mass Education: Evidence from 200 Years was authored by Agustina Paglayan. It was published by Cambridge in APSR in 2021. |
