Work

Education, Social Cohesion, and Economic Growth

Year: 2002

Type: article

Abstract: Analysis of the contribution of education to growth through its role in promoting a common culture indicates that when different cultural groups separately determine the social content of their school curricula excessive polarization can result, with less than optimal growth. The optimal trajectory involves a gradual, reciprocal convergence of school curricula towards the middle ground. This may be difficult to implement in a political context in which all agents are identified with one group or another. When curricula are determined by legislative bargaining, centralization of schooling may result in overly rapid homogenization in some cases, and - perhaps surprisingly - excessive polarization in others.

Source: American Economic Review

DOI: 10.1257/00028280260344722

Authors: Mark Gradstein, Moshe Justman

Institutions: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, The University of Melbourne

Language: English

Topic: Culture, Economy, and Development Studies

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W1978463248

FWCI: 28.63

Cites: 61

Cited by: 288

Related to: 10