Orphans in Africa

50 Pages Posted: 20 Sep 2002 Last revised: 10 Apr 2022

See all articles by Anne Case

Anne Case

Princeton University - Research Program in Development Studies; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Christina H. Paxson

Princeton University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Joseph D. Ableidinger

Princeton University - Center for Health and Wellbeing

Date Written: September 2002

Abstract

We examine the impact of orphanage on the living arrangements and school enrollment of children in Sub-Saharan Africa, using data from 19 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in 10 countries between 1992 and 2000. We find that orphans in Africa on average live in poorer households than non-orphans, and are significantly less likely than non-orphans to be enrolled in school. However, orphans' lower school enrollment is not explained by their poverty: orphans are equally less likely to be enrolled in school relative both to non-orphans as a group and to the non-orphans with whom they live. Consistent with the predictions of Hamilton's Rule, we find that outcomes for orphans depend largely on the degree of relatedness of the orphan to the household head. Children living in households headed by non-parental relatives fare systematically worse than those living with parental heads, and those living in households headed by nonrelatives fare worse still. Much of the gap between the schooling of orphans and non-orphans is explained by the greater tendency of orphans to live with more distant relatives or unrelated caregivers.

Suggested Citation

Case, Anne and Paxson, Christina H. and Ableidinger, Joseph D., Orphans in Africa (September 2002). NBER Working Paper No. w9213, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=332257

Anne Case (Contact Author)

Princeton University - Research Program in Development Studies ( email )

Woodrow Wilson School
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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Christina H. Paxson

Princeton University ( email )

316 Wallace Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544
United States
609-258-6474 (Phone)
609-258-5974 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Joseph D. Ableidinger

Princeton University - Center for Health and Wellbeing ( email )

Woodrow Wilson School
Princeton, NJ 08544
United States
609-258-7376 (Phone)

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