Education Production Functions: Evidence from Developing Countries

This article assesses what economists and other social scientists have learned regarding the effectiveness of various education policies that have been implemented to increase enrolment and promote learning in developing countries. The education production function, which economists often use to portray the education process, is first introduced, along with several other relationships of interest. Estimation issues are also discussed. The article then reviews recent research on school enrolment and learning in developing countries; several policies have been shown to raise enrolment, but less is known about how to increase learning. The final section presents recommendations for further research.