Education production functions: Updated evidence from developing countries

This chapter assesses what economists and other social scientists have learned regarding the effectiveness of various education policies that have been implemented to increase enrollment 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 chapter then reviews recent research on school enrollment and learning in developing countries; several policies have been shown to raise enrollment, but less is known about how to increase learning. The final section provides recommendations for further research.