Can autocracy promote literacy? Evidence from a cultural alignment success story

Do countries with less democratic forms of government necessarily have lower literacy rates as a consequence? Using a random sample of more than 9000 individuals from military archives in 20th century Portugal, we show that 20-year old males were 50% more likely to end up literate under a nondemocra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of economic behavior & organization 2021-06, Vol.186, p.412-436
Main Authors: Palma, Nuno, Reis, Jaime
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropometrics
Economic history of education
Political economy of development
Public schooling provision
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Summary:Do countries with less democratic forms of government necessarily have lower literacy rates as a consequence? Using a random sample of more than 9000 individuals from military archives in 20th century Portugal, we show that 20-year old males were 50% more likely to end up literate under a nondemocratic regime than under a more democratic one. Our results are robust to controlling for a host of factors including economic growth, the disease environment, and regional fixed effects. We argue for a political economy and cultural explanation for the relative success of the authoritarian regime in promoting basic education.
ISSN:0167-2681
1879-1751
DOI:10.1016/j.jebo.2021.02.011