Underinvestment, low economic returns to education, and the schooling of rural children: some evidence from Brazil
Singh, R.D.
Economic Development and Cultural Change 40(3): 645-664
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0013-0079 DOI: 10.2307/1154580Document Number: 319179
This article describes a study aimed at identifying some important economic aspects of schooling among farm operators in small farm households in Brazil. The factors responsible for the allocation of resources by households to increase the human capital of their children are also examined. Data are derived from a sample of about 500 low-income households comprising farmers, sharecroppers and agricultural workers from 3 rural regions in the southeast and northeast of the country. The economic returns to schooling in Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and Ceara are of the order of 14%, a considerable figure given the traditional nature of the study area and population. The demand for children's schooling is positively related to the parents' education and the fathers' out-migration. In addition, the use of modern farm inputs allowed children to attend school by reducing the labour requirement of agricultural production.