scholarly journals The rich or the poor: who gains from public education spending in Ghana?

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mawuli Gaddah ◽  
Alistair Munro ◽  
Peter Quartey

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the incidence of public education subsidies in Ghana. Since the late 1990s, Ghana’s government has increasingly recognized human capital as key to alleviating poverty and income inequality, causing dramatic increases of government expenditures to the education sector. At the same time user fees have been introduced in higher education while basic education is being made progressively free. The question then is, whether these spending increases have been effective in reaching the poor and to what extent? What factors influence the poor’s participation in the public school system? Design/methodology/approach – The authors address the key issues by employing both the standard benefit incidence methods and the willingness-to-pay method. Findings – The results give a clear evidence of progressivity with consistent ordering: pre-schooling and primary schooling are the most progressive, followed by secondary, and then tertiary. Own price and income elasticities are higher for private schools than public schools and for secondary than basic schools. Practical implications – Given the liquidity constraints African governments face yet there is the need to improve the human capacity of the countries, this study offers solution to how to optimally allocate the educational budget. Originality/value – The use of policy simulations to ascertain the incidence of public spending on education is innovative as far as previous studies in Africa is concerned.

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. i-iii

In this election year, 2004, people are grappling with the various forces that make up these United States. What forces encourage inclusion and which exclusion? Who is to be included and who excluded? Is this to be a country with wide discrepancies between the rich and the poor? Is this to be a country where public education is poorly funded and a good education depends upon private resources? Are we going to forget that discrimination on the basis of gender, race, ethnic origin, and economic status still exists and needs to be perpetually, vigilantly addressed? There is a deep division in the country over the proper and fair use of our resources that constitutes concern in all our citizens


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dramani Bukari ◽  
Francis Xavier Dery Tuokuu ◽  
Shafic Suleman ◽  
Ishmael Ackah ◽  
Godwin Apenu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive review of the programmes being implemented with a view to ascertaining if they adequately address the energy needs of the poor more holistically and sustainably. Design/methodology/approach The content of this desktop review is based on information collected through a review of available energy policy documents from the Ghana Government and related governmental agencies, such as the Energy Commission and Ghana Statistical Services, international energy-related agencies, such as the International Energy Agency (World Vision, 2013), as well as other related web searches. Additionally, global and Sub-Saharan African energy access documents were reviewed by analysing secondary data from the World Bank and UN policy reports, statistical data, strategies, regulations, protocols and other related documents (World Vision, 2013). Furthermore, some policy documents on energy access and usage were explored mainly from Senegal and Ghana to ascertain governments’ policies, regulations and strategies in the implementation of energy access policies. Findings The paper offers all the various strategies being implemented in an attempt to establish a foothold on the problem of affording the poor with clean and affordable energies. The paper also presents the rich experiences of Senegal in its bid to see expanded access in liquefied petroleum gas usage by residential consumers. Originality/value The paper provides some policy and theoretical implications for improving Ghana’s energy access.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
OLIVER P. HAUSER ◽  
GORDON T. KRAFT-TODD ◽  
DAVID G. RAND ◽  
MARTIN A. NOWAK ◽  
MICHAEL I. NORTON

AbstractFour experiments examine how lack of awareness of inequality affect behaviour towards the rich and poor. In Experiment 1, participants who became aware that wealthy individuals donated a smaller percentage of their income switched from rewarding the wealthy to rewarding the poor. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants who played a public goods game – and were assigned incomes reflective of the US income distribution either at random or on merit – punished the poor (for small absolute contributions) and rewarded the rich (for large absolute contributions) when incomes were unknown; when incomes were revealed, participants punished the rich (for their low percentage of income contributed) and rewarded the poor (for their high percentage of income contributed). In Experiment 4, participants provided with public education contributions for five New York school districts levied additional taxes on mostly poorer school districts when incomes were unknown, but targeted wealthier districts when incomes were revealed. These results shed light on how income transparency shapes preferences for equity and redistribution. We discuss implications for policy-makers.


Author(s):  
Sarah M. Stitzlein

Not only is the future of our public schools in jeopardy, so is our democracy. Public schools are central to a flourishing democracy, where children learn how to deliberate and solve problems together, build shared identities, and come to value justice and liberty. As citizen support for public schools wanes, our democratic way of life is at risk. While we often hear about the poor performance of students and teachers, the current educational crisis is at heart not about accountability, but rather about citizen responsibility. Yet citizens increasingly do not feel that public schools are our schools, that we have influence over them or responsibility for their outcomes. Citizens have become watchdogs of public institutions largely from the perspective of consumers, without seeing ourselves as citizens who compose the public of public institutions. Accountability becomes more about finding fault with and placing blame on our schools and teachers, rather than about taking responsibility as citizens for shaping our expectations of schools, determining the criteria we use to measure their success, or supporting schools in achieving those goals. This book sheds light on recent shifts in education and citizenship, helping the public to understand not only how schools now work, but also how citizens can take an active role in shaping them. It provides citizens with tools, habits, practices, and knowledge necessary to support schools. It offers a vision of how we can cultivate citizens who will continue to support public schools and thereby keep democracy strong.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Marisa Ribeiro Teixeira Duarte ◽  
Carlos André Teixeira Gomes ◽  
Luciana Gonçalves de Oliveira Gotelib

We analyzed the infrastructure conditions of Brazilian schools, aiming to expose their inequalities and territorial distribution. The literature review pointed an influence on previous studies of school infrastructure of regulation by outcomes on the educational system coordination and the limits of current redistributive policies in promoting greater inter federative equity. We tested the hypothesis of a poor school for the poor using the clusters analysis (use of K-means after application of hierarchical method, to determine the number of clusters and centroids). The three clusters obtained (adequate, intermediate and precarious) allowed us to trace the profiles of school infrastructure inequalities by constructing reference variables that expressed the quality of the good or service. Among the results obtained, there was a greater number of students from families participating in the “Bolsa Família” Program in public schools located in urban areas in the group called “adequate”, according to Brazilian standards. There was also a higher concentration of these students in municipal schools in rural areas of the “precarious” group, despite the reduced number of enrollments by Brazilian standards. We concluded by relating the reasons for the invisibility of these schools to the agendas of national public education policies. 


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-54
Author(s):  
Ahmad B Hassanat ◽  
Ghada Awad Al tarawneh

Purpose – This paper aims to present a new Islamic product called gambling-free lottery, which is inspired by ideas of Musharakah, Takaful and Al-qard Al-hasan, where the winner of the lottery receives the prize as an interest-free loan, and buyers of tickets get their money back after the winner’s repayment of the loan. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports the religious opinions of three Islamic scholars who were interviewed for the purpose of this study. The results of a questionnaire to survey the mood of 430 persons about the new product are also reported. Findings – The paper concludes that although the proposed product is still at an exploratory stage and not a definitive product acceptable to all Muslim society, it could be a successful Islamic financial product, provided that it was put into practice with some modifications to accommodate all Islamic views. Research limitations/implications – Main limitations of this study are the number of Islamic scholars interviewed does not reflect all the Islamic views regarding the new product and the lack of more information about the religious side of this type of product. Originality/value – By introducing such a product, the gambling-free lottery could become not only a means of credit provision but also a new method of playing a “game” while lending money to someone who is more likely to be poor. Converting the poor into the rich could overcome many problems, particularly in poor countries.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norazlina Abd. Wahab ◽  
Zairy Zainol ◽  
Mahyuddin Abu Bakar

Purpose This paper aims to present a conceptual model on service quality of zakat institutions that are responsible for collecting, managing and distributing zakat in Malaysia. Zakat is an Islamic religious “tax” charged on the rich and well-to-do members of the community for distribution to the poor and the needy as well as other beneficiaries based on certain established criteria according to the Qur’an. The main aim of zakat is to protect the socio-economic welfare of the poor and the needy. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews and synthesizes the relevant literature on service quality. The paper then proposed a conceptual model to study the service quality of zakat institutions. Findings The paper identifies the appropriate methods to examine the extent of service quality of zakat institutions. Such evaluations are crucial for organizations like zakat institutions to function effectively to achieve the noble objectives of socio-economic justice through proper distribution of wealth. Originality/value This paper presents a conceptual model of service quality of zakat institutions which would be useful for further empirical research in this area. The findings are not only relevant and applicable to Malaysia but also to other Muslim countries.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Marinalva Sousa Macedo ◽  
Adelaide Ferreira Coutinho

RESUMOPropõe-se nesse artigo discutir sobre o processo de elaboração/execução do Projeto Político Pedagógico para a educação básica do campo. Na tentativa de desvendar objeto de investigação nas suas determinações histórico-sociais, buscou-se como referência metodológica a perspectiva materialista histórico-dialética, por contemplar o desafiode captar o movimento/contradições da realidade estudada, cujo lócus são as escolas dos assentamentos conquistados pelo Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra – MST, este, que historicamente luta por escolas públicas para campo. Inicialmente, percebeu-se que a luta desse movimento foi por educação para educar os filhos dos que lutavam pela conquista da terra. Dessa forma, surgem as primeiras escolas nos assentamentos e tem início as discussões sobre a Educação no e do campo. Atualmente, o debate tem motivado a realização de pesquisas e uma produção significativa, além da conquista dos instrumentoslegais e da realização de importantes eventos visando assegurar a educação pública. Por outro lado, cresceu a necessidade de se elaborar um Projeto Político-Pedagógico para as escolas de educação básica do campo. Assim, estaca-se a importância de refletir sobre a educação e oprojeto educativo que se quer para o campo. Nesse intuito, sustenta-se essa análise numa concepção ampliada de educação, a qual deve ser fundamentada nos âmbitos político, técnico e ético para a formação humana, nos diferentes contextos da realidade do campo. Essa, portanto, é uma proposta contrária a atual lógica de formação, voltada, predominantemente, para o mercado. Com base nesse pressuposto, cabe contribuir criticamente para o elineamento do Projeto Político Pedagógico (PPP) das escolas do campo, pois o mesmo deve ser construído coletivamente, uma vez que este se constitui instrumento estruturante da identidade escolar, da gestão democrática e da ação docente.Palavras-chave: Projeto Político Pedagógico. Educação do Campo. Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra.ABSTRACTIt is proposed in this article a discussion on the process of developing / implementing the Political Pedagogical Project for rural basic education. As an attempt to unravel the subject of investigation in its historical and social determinations, it sought as a methodological reference to historical and dialectical materialism, to contemplate the challenge of capturing the movement / contradictions of reality studied, whose locus are schools of settlements won by Landless Workers’ movement - MST, this, that historically struggle for rural public schools to. Initially, it was realized that the struggle of this movement was for education to educate the children of those who fought for land. Thus, there are the first schools in the settlements and opened discussions on education in and the countryside. Currently, the debate has motivated the development of research and significantproduction in addition to the achievement of the legal instruments and as part of major events to ensure public education. On the other hand, it increased the need to develop a political-pedagogical project for rural basiceducation schools in the. Thus, there is the importance of thinking about education and educational project that wants to countryside. To that end, it is claimed that analysis in a broad view of education, which should be based on political, technical and ethical spheres to the human, in the different contexts of the reality of the countryside. This therefore is a proposal contrary to current lineup of logic, geared redominantly to market. On that basis, it is critically contribute to the design of the Political Pedagogical Project (PPP) of schools in the countryside, as it should be built collectively, since this constitutes a structural instrument of school identity, democratic management and teaching activities.Keywords: Pedagogical Political Project. Rural Education. Rural Workers Landless Movement.RESUMENSe propone en este artículo discutir el proceso de desarrollo / implementación del Proyecto Político Pedagógico para el campo de la educación básica. En un intento de desentrañar el tema de la investigación en sus determinaciones históricas y sociales, se buscó como referencia metodológica con elmaterialismo histórico y dialéctico, para contemplar el desafío de capturar el movimiento / contradicciones de la realidad estudiada, cuyo locus son las escuelas de los asentamientos ganados por movimiento de los Trabajadores Sin Tierra - MST, esto, que históricamente luchan por las escuelas públicas a campo. Inicialmente, se dio cuenta de que la lucha de este movimiento fue la educación para educar a los hijos de los que lucharon por la tierra. Por lo tanto, existen las primeras escuelas en los asentamientos y discusionesabiertas sobre educación en y del campo. En la actualidad, el debate ha motivado el desarrollo de la investigación y la producción significativa, además de la consecución de los instrumentos legales y como parte de importantes eventos para garantizar la educación pública. Por otro lado, aumentó la necesidad de desarrollar un proyecto político-pedagógicopara las escuelas de educación básica en el campo. Por lo tanto, existe la importancia de pensar la educación y el proyecto educativo que quiere a campo. A tal efecto, se afirma que el análisis de una visión amplia de la educación, que debe basarse en las esferas políticas, técnicas y éticas para el ser humano, en los diferentes contextos de la realidad del campo. Por lo tanto, esta es una propuesta contraria a la alineación actual de la lógica, orientada principalmente al mercado. Sobre esa base, se contribuye críticamente para el diseño del Proyecto Político Pedagógico (PPP) de las escuelas en el campo, ya que debe ser construida colectivamente, ya que esto constituye un instrumento estructural de la identidad de la escuela, la gestión democrática y actividades de enseñanza.Palabras clave: Proyecto Político Pedagógico. La educación rural. Movimiento de Trabajadores Rurales Sin Tierra.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hooper Carole

PurposeSoon after its establishment in 1863, the Board of Education – “the body responsible for administering public education in Victoria – determined that a system of universal mixed (coeducational) schooling would be adopted in the colony. Existing single-sex departments were “encouraged”, or compelled, to amalgamate, and no new separate schools were established. Although administrators and officials endorsed coeducation, primarily on the grounds of efficiency and economy, opposition from some teachers and parents persisted for many decades. Those opposed to the mixing of children within the schools expressed particular concern about the moral well-being of female pupils, and wished to protect them from what they perceived as corrupting influences. Nevertheless, once decided upon, the policy of universal coeducation prevailed, and when Victoria's first state secondary schools were established in the early 20th century, they too were coeducational.Design/methodology/approachDocumentary evidence, primarily the records of the various boards responsible for the administration of the public schools, evidence provided to several royal commissions, and various contemporary sources, have been examined to discover how the policy of universal coeducation was developed and implemented, and to examine what arguments were offered in favour of and against such a system.FindingsThe colony of Victoria implemented a system of universal coeducation within the public education sector well in advance of its adoption by other Australian colonies, and before it was generally accepted by similar societies elsewhere. The purpose of this paper is to examine why, how and by whom the policy of coeducation was formulated and implemented, and what opposition it faced.Originality/valueAlthough reference is often made to coeducational schooling in histories of education in the 19th century, the information provided is usually of a general nature, without providing specific information about the process by which separate schooling was superseded by coeducation – how and when one type of educational provision came to be replaced by another.


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