Independent research & practical ideas for global prosperity

Justin Sandefur

Recent Research

The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country - Working Paper 279
Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya? - Working Paper 271

Research Fellow

Legal empowerment of the poor, education, Africa, evaluating aid effectiveness

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Education: D.Phil. in economics at Oxford University

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Media Contact: Catherine An

Justin Sandefur is a research fellow at the Center for Global Development. His research focuses on the interface of law and development in sub-Saharan Africa. From 2008 to 2010, he served as an adviser to the Tanzanian government to set up the country’s National Panel Survey to monitor poverty dynamics and agricultural production. He has also worked on a project with the Kenyan Ministry of Education to bring rigorous impact evaluation into the Ministry’s policymaking process by scaling up proven small-scale reforms.

His recent papers concentrate on education in Kenya, and his research includes the examinations through randomized controlled trials of new approaches to conflict resolution in Liberia, efforts to curb police extortion and abuse in Sierra Leone, and an initiative to expand land titling in urban slums in Tanzania.

New Popular Working Papers Other CGD Pubs Selected Works

The Challenge of Scaling Up Proven Interventions — Justin Sandefur - Apr 10, 2012

My guest on this week’s Wonkcast is Justin Sandefur, a research fellow at CGD whose recent work has focused on education in Kenya. One study examines the returns of private schooling, while another looks at the effects of contract teachers on student test scores. The results of these studies...
Data Set for Working Paper 279: “The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country” - Dec 13, 2011

This set includes data and Stata files to replicate the results in CGD Working Paper 279, “The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country”
The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country - Working Paper 279 - Dec 12, 2011

Using data from Kenya—a poor country with weak public institutions—the authors find a large effect of private schooling on test scores, equivalent to one full standard deviation.
Data Set for Working Paper 271: "Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya?" - Oct 31, 2011

This set includes the household survey data, standardized test score data, and the Stata files to replicate the results in CGD Working Paper 271, "Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya?"
Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya? - Working Paper 271 - Oct 31, 2011

Previous studies suggest that abolishing user fees would increase enrollment in public schools, but the results of this research show that the opposite is true in Kenya.

The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country - Working Paper 279 - Dec 12, 2011

Using data from Kenya—a poor country with weak public institutions—the authors find a large effect of private schooling on test scores, equivalent to one full standard deviation.
Data Set for Working Paper 279: “The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country” - Dec 13, 2011

This set includes data and Stata files to replicate the results in CGD Working Paper 279, “The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country”
Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya? - Working Paper 271 - Oct 31, 2011

Previous studies suggest that abolishing user fees would increase enrollment in public schools, but the results of this research show that the opposite is true in Kenya.
Data Set for Working Paper 271: "Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya?" - Oct 31, 2011

This set includes the household survey data, standardized test score data, and the Stata files to replicate the results in CGD Working Paper 271, "Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya?"
The Challenge of Scaling Up Proven Interventions — Justin Sandefur - Apr 10, 2012

My guest on this week’s Wonkcast is Justin Sandefur, a research fellow at CGD whose recent work has focused on education in Kenya. One study examines the returns of private schooling, while another looks at the effects of contract teachers on student test scores. The results of these studies...

The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country - Working Paper 279 - Dec 12, 2011

Using data from Kenya—a poor country with weak public institutions—the authors find a large effect of private schooling on test scores, equivalent to one full standard deviation.
Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya? - Working Paper 271 - Oct 31, 2011

Previous studies suggest that abolishing user fees would increase enrollment in public schools, but the results of this research show that the opposite is true in Kenya.

There are no related books.

Data Set for Working Paper 279: “The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country” - Dec 13, 2011

This set includes data and Stata files to replicate the results in CGD Working Paper 279, “The High Return to Private Schooling in a Low-Income Country”
Data Set for Working Paper 271: "Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya?" - Oct 31, 2011

This set includes the household survey data, standardized test score data, and the Stata files to replicate the results in CGD Working Paper 271, "Why Did Abolishing Fees Not Increase Public School Enrollment in Kenya?"