Abstract

This dissertation explores three interconnected topics concerning external financing to education for human capital development in Africa, gender productivity differences in farming and effects of education on fertility and labour supply. Chapter 1 provides the overarching introduction for the three individual research studies covered in Chapters 2 to 4. Chapter 5 concludes with key messages and policy recommendations.Chapter 2 explores whether education sector foreign aid has a significant effect on economic growth in Africa. The study covers 32 African countries over the period 2005 –2017. On the supply side, the dependent variable, education aid flow, was disaggregated by education level. On the demand side, the recipient economies were categorized by income level and political system of government. The empirical analysis showed that low income autocracies that allocate more education sector foreign aid to higher education than to primary education do so at their detriment with respect to economic growth. Middle income democracies that allocate more education sector foreign aid to primary education compared to higher education do so at their detriment with respect to economic growth. Chapter 3 investigates gender differences in agricultural productivity in Malawi using data from the fourth Integrated Household Survey. The study examined constraints on female farmers and forces that drive the gender gap in agricultural productivity from the perspective of female and male crops. Unequal access particularly to male labour and fertilizer were observed to be key constraints widening the gender gap. Mitigating gender biases within households around division of labour is important if women are to strengthen their income-earning capacity and improve their access to male labour, fertilizer and other critical inputs. For instance, labour-saving technologies such as energy-efficient and environmentally friendly improved cooking stoves and rainwater harvesting have the potential to reduce women’s unpaid care and domestic work burdens, save time and facilitate increased crop production, which could help generate more income.Using data from the 2015/16 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, Chapter 4 examined the relationship between female education, labour force participation and fertility in Malawi. Results confirmed the hypotheses that female education, especially at the secondary and post-secondary school levels, reduces fertility and increases the likelihood of women being engaged in the labour force. Overall, the findings from this research place emphasis on the importance of education, particularly at the primary level, for promoting economic growth in low-income African countries. Expanding education to enable progression to secondary education and beyond can increase the likelihood of engaging in the labour force. This has important implications for fertility behaviour as women who work will have less time for many children. The research also highlights that closing the gender gap in agricultural productivity by improving access to key farming inputs for women can translate to an increase in crop production, which in turn would contribute to an increase in GDP and ultimately help poverty reduction.

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School	: School of Law, Economics and Government
Issued Date	: 2022

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