[Working Paper]
Education and the Limits of Power-Sharing: Persistent Inequalities and Changing Political Prospects in Burundi’s Post-War Exams and their Implications for Building Peace.
Abstract:
Political, social, and economic inequalities based on ethnic, religious, or regional lines increase the likelihood of conflict. Scholars argue that such inequalities in education play an important role in conflict and note that addressing these inequalities is important for building peace. Yet, little is known about how governments can address such inequalities and the implications for peace. Indeed, tensions exist between persistent institutional legacies of inequality and changing ethnic and regional power after violence. In this paper, I study these tension using the case of post-war education in Burundi, where an ethnicity-based civil war resulted in a power change, and unequal regional access to education was a cause of the war. I conduct a longitudinal OLS regression analysis of participation in Burundi’s mandatory national exams from 2009-2018. I show that exam participation has increased overall, though provincial inequalities remain, despite policies and mandates in the peace agreement to address these inequalities. I argue that, despite being a peacebuilding priority, policies to address regional inequalities in education are not sufficient to address and overcome institutional legacies of inequality, even in the presence of a change in ethno-regional power dynamics. This study has implications for scholarship on how addressing horizontal inequalities can contribute to peace, and policy development as governments design and implement education policies post-conflict.
[Paper under review - please email me if you would like a early version of the paper]
Education and the Limits of Power-Sharing: Persistent Inequalities and Changing Political Prospects in Burundi’s Post-War Exams and their Implications for Building Peace.
Abstract:
Political, social, and economic inequalities based on ethnic, religious, or regional lines increase the likelihood of conflict. Scholars argue that such inequalities in education play an important role in conflict and note that addressing these inequalities is important for building peace. Yet, little is known about how governments can address such inequalities and the implications for peace. Indeed, tensions exist between persistent institutional legacies of inequality and changing ethnic and regional power after violence. In this paper, I study these tension using the case of post-war education in Burundi, where an ethnicity-based civil war resulted in a power change, and unequal regional access to education was a cause of the war. I conduct a longitudinal OLS regression analysis of participation in Burundi’s mandatory national exams from 2009-2018. I show that exam participation has increased overall, though provincial inequalities remain, despite policies and mandates in the peace agreement to address these inequalities. I argue that, despite being a peacebuilding priority, policies to address regional inequalities in education are not sufficient to address and overcome institutional legacies of inequality, even in the presence of a change in ethno-regional power dynamics. This study has implications for scholarship on how addressing horizontal inequalities can contribute to peace, and policy development as governments design and implement education policies post-conflict.
[Paper under review - please email me if you would like a early version of the paper]
[Working Paper - UNU WIDER, Institutional Legacies of Conflict]
“It’s our turn (not) to learn”: The Pitfalls of Education Reform during Post-War Institutional Transformation
Emily Dunlop, Yasmine Bekkouche, and Philip Verwimp
Abstract:
In this study, we investigate the relationship between education reform, institutional legacies of inequality, and changing political institutions in a poor, conflict-affected country. Burundi experienced a dramatic change in ethnic power relations after the 1993-2005 civil war. The post-war government prioritized education to previously marginalized regions and ethnic groups, both in access and attainment. We leverage test score data from four nationwide exams in primary and secondary education from 2006 to 2018. Our difference-in-differences analysis shows a dramatic shift in test scores, with the schools in the north of the country, deprived before the civil war, outperforming schools in the south. Results are robust across datasets. We derive policy implications for understanding how post-conflict governments can build inclusive institutions through education after conflict, and how governments can overcome institutional legacies of education inequality.
“It’s our turn (not) to learn”: The Pitfalls of Education Reform during Post-War Institutional Transformation
Emily Dunlop, Yasmine Bekkouche, and Philip Verwimp
Abstract:
In this study, we investigate the relationship between education reform, institutional legacies of inequality, and changing political institutions in a poor, conflict-affected country. Burundi experienced a dramatic change in ethnic power relations after the 1993-2005 civil war. The post-war government prioritized education to previously marginalized regions and ethnic groups, both in access and attainment. We leverage test score data from four nationwide exams in primary and secondary education from 2006 to 2018. Our difference-in-differences analysis shows a dramatic shift in test scores, with the schools in the north of the country, deprived before the civil war, outperforming schools in the south. Results are robust across datasets. We derive policy implications for understanding how post-conflict governments can build inclusive institutions through education after conflict, and how governments can overcome institutional legacies of education inequality.
[Working Paper]
Breaking down the silos: How research on education in crisis affected contexts can inform pandemic-related policy priorities
with Dr. Jo Kelcey (Lebanese American University) and Dr. Elisabeth King (NYU)
Breaking down the silos: How research on education in crisis affected contexts can inform pandemic-related policy priorities
with Dr. Jo Kelcey (Lebanese American University) and Dr. Elisabeth King (NYU)
