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© 2022 International Monetary Fund
WP/22/245
IMF Working Paper
Institute of Capacity Development
Intergenerational Transmission of Education in a Developing Country: Evidence from A Mass
Education Program in Vietnam
Prepared by Trung Hoang and Ha Nguyen*
Authorized for distribution by Mercedes Garcia-Escribano
December 2022
IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.
ABSTRACT: We study the long-run and multi-generational effects of a mass education program in Vietnam during the First Indochina War (1946–1954). Difference-in-difference estimations indicate that the children of mothers exposed to the education program had an average of 0.9 more years of education. We argue that the impact is via mother’s education. An additional year of maternal education increases children’s education by up to 0.65 years, a stronger effect than those found in the existing literature. Better household lifestyles and a stronger focus on education are possible transmission pathways
| ISBN | 979-8-40-020049-6 |
| JEL Classification Numbers: | H0, I2, O1, P3 |
| Keywords: | mass education; human capital transmission; mother education; Vietnam |
| Author’s E-Mail Address: | Ha Nguyen: hnguyen7@imf.org; Trung Hoang: hoangxuantrung3012@gmail.com |
| ISBN | 979-8-40-020049-6 |
| JEL Classification Numbers: | H0, I2, O1, P3 |
| Keywords: | mass education; human capital transmission; mother education; Vietnam |
| Author’s E-Mail Address: | Ha Nguyen: hnguyen7@imf.org; Trung Hoang: hoangxuantrung3012@gmail.com |
Title Page
WORKING PAPERS
Intergenerational Transmission of Education in a Developing Country
Evidence from A Mass Education Program in Vietnam
Prepared by Trung Hoang and Ha Nguyen1
Contents
I. Introduction
II. Country Context and “Mass Education” Program
III. Empirical Models and Data
V. On Potential Transmission Mechanisms
VI. Bringing Together and Conclusions
Annex I. Additional Figures and Tables
References
International Monetary Fund. The authors are grateful to Hai-Anh Dang for earlier contributions. We would like to thank Lahcen Achy, Andrew Berg, Prashant Bharadwaj, Jose Cuesta, Eric Edmonds, Ousmane Dione, Brigham Frandsen, Tomoki Fujii, Mercedes Garcia-Escribano, Gregg Huff, Keiko Inoue, Kevin Lang, Seonghoon Kim, Michal Kolesar, Aart Kraay, Arthur Lewbel, Norman Loayza, Doug Miller, Viet-Cuong Nguyen, Ngoc Anh Nguyen, Nina Pavcnik, Franco Peracchi, Amber Peterman, Lant Prichett, Martin Rama, Biju Rao, Luis Serven, Damien de Walque, Ha Vu, and participants at a meeting of the Society of Government Economists (Washington, DC), seminars at World Bank’s Malaysia Hub (Kuala Lumpur), Singapore Management University, UNICEF Office of Research (Florence), Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (Hanoi), the World Bank and Vietnam Development Reading Group for helpful comments on earlier drafts.
Trung Hoang is at Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and Ha Nguyen is at the International Monetary Fund. The authors are grateful to Hai-Anh Dang for earlier contributions. We would like to thank Lahcen Achy, Andrew Berg, Prashant Bharadwaj, Jose Cuesta, Eric Edmonds, Ousmane Dione, Brigham Frandsen, Tomoki Fujii, Mercedes Garcia-Escribano, Gregg Huff, Keiko Inoue, Kevin Lang, Seonghoon Kim, Michal Kolesar, Aart Kraay, Arthur Lewbel, Norman Loayza, Doug Miller, Viet-Cuong Nguyen, Ngoc Anh Nguyen, Nina Pavcnik, Franco Peracchi, Amber Peterman, Lant Prichett, Martin Rama, Biju Rao, Luis Serven, Damien de Walque, Ha Vu, and participants at a meeting of the Society of Government Economists (Washington, DC), seminars at World Bank’s Malaysia Hub (Kuala Lumpur), Singapore Management University, UNICEF Office of Research (Florence), Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (Hanoi), the World Bank and Vietnam Development Reading Group for helpful comments on earlier drafts.