Title

Orphans in Africa: Parental Death, Poverty and School Enrollment

Author(s)

Anne Case Anne Case (Princeton University)

Christina Paxson Christina Paxson (Princeton University)

Joseph Ableidinger Joseph Ableidinger (Princeton University)

Abstract

We examine the impact of orphanhood on children's school enrollment in10 Sub-Saharan African countries. Although poorer children in Africa are less likely to attend school, the lower enrollment of orphans is not accounted for solely by their poverty. We find orphans are less likely to be enrolled than are non-orphans with whom they live. Consistent with Hamilton's Rule, the theory that the closeness of biological ties governs altruistic behavior, outcomes for orphans depend on the relatedness of orphans to their household heads. The lower enrollment of orphans is largely explained by the greater tendency of orphans to live with distant relatives or unrelated caregivers.

Creation Date

2004-03

Section URL ID

CHWB

Paper Number

26

URL

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwjFN4HbBrDBa0s3MUZHNkI2NEU/view?pref=2&pli=1

File Function

Jel

I21, I32, J13, O15

Keyword(s)

Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malwai, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Niger, Namibia

Suppress

false

Series

9