Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T06:05:33.075Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The role of democracy in Uganda's move to universal primary education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2005

David Stasavage
David Stasavage
Affiliation:
London School of Economics.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In recent years several democratically elected African governments have abolished primary school fees following pledges made during presidential election campaigns. Among these cases, Uganda's universal primary education (UPE) programme, launched in 1997, has received particular attention, due to the massive increase in primary school enrolment, as well the sustained increase in public spending on education that it has entailed. This paper asks whether the Ugandan government's policies in this area can be explained by the prior establishment of competitive elections in 1996. It provides several reasons to believe that the move to UPE has indeed been linked to democratic politics, and that this outcome has depended on the salience of education as an issue, as well as on the public's access to information about UPE. As a result, recent Ugandan experience helps show why the establishment of competitive elections might prompt an African government to spend more on primary education. However, it also suggests why in many African countries a democratic transition will have little effect on primary education provision.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 43 , Issue 1 , March 2005 , pp. 53 - 73
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

I would like to thank Jim Adams, Phil Keefer, Damoni Kitabire, John Mackinnon, Allister Moon, Ritva Reinikka, and three anonymous referees for helpful comments and suggestions.