Catherine Guirkinger

Colonial education and its intergenerational transmission : evidence from colonial and post-independence Congo

(avec Pablo Alvarez et Paola Villar)

Abstract : This paper examines educational persistence and its underlying mechanisms in the context of colonial and post-independence Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC). We use micro-data from a unique demographic survey conducted between 1975-1977 with detailed information on education and place of birth and that provides matched information at the parent/ child level. Since missionaries provided virtually all education during colonial times, we use an original dataset on mission location to reconstruct temporal and geographic heterogeneity in exposure to different types of missions (Protestants and Catholics), and we merge the exposure measures with the urban survey. In the spirit of a difference in differences, we exploit this heterogeneity and find that local demand for Catholic education was strong for both men and women, while Protestant missions had no discernible effect. However, exposure to Protestant missions correlates with parental preferences for more schooling for their children. We verify that endogenous mission locations and/or openings and selective migration are not driving the results. To investigate persistence and its channels, we use available DHS rounds (2007 and 2013-14) as well as information on contemporary schools. We find strong evidence of persistence in educational investments. In line with the results shown in Baten et al. (2021), we also find that both Catholic and Protestant missions have long lasting effects on education, especially for women. These findings highlight the importance of colonial origins of educational mobility and gender gaps in the DRC.