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Economics 286W
Honors Seminar

 

 

Spring 2004
Wednesdays, 2-4
Koons Hall 311
R. N. Langlois
322 Monteith X63472

Office hours MW 9-12 and 1-2 or by appointment

Assignment 6

Our last talk will pick up strands from both Christian Zimmermann’s talk and Metin Cosgel’s talk.

 

While on leave from UConn, Samson Kimenyi served as the first director of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPRA),  an autonomous think tank set up to provide independent policy advice to the Kenyan government.  One of the policy issues Samson had to confront was educational policy, especially the decline in public school enrollment in the country.  As we learned in Christian’s talk, education policy is an important way to encourage economic growth.  The central issue in Kenya was whether the government should provide free public education to all or instead target subsidies to particular segments of the population.  Thus, as in Metin’s talk, the question is whether a uniform policy or a discriminatory policy is more efficient and equitable.  KIPRA’s analysis suggested a targeted policy, but the government decided on free public education for all.

 

Do you agree with the recommendation in favor of a discriminatory policy and against free education for all?  Can you explain – perhaps using some of the ideas in the Holcombe paper you read last time – why  the government chose free public education for all.  (The discussion last time was about taxation; but you can think of providing a benefit, like education, as effectively negative taxation.  Of course, such benefits usually then have to be paid for by positive taxation.)

 

Your readings are three documents produced by KIPRA:

 

 

 

 

Due: April 28.