State Limitations, Self-Help Secondary Schooling, and Development in Kenya

Theories of Third World education offer different views on the role and strength of the state, and several scholars argue that Third World states are too weak and 'fragile to implement development programs for education, health, and other areas. This case study of Kenya examines the national education structure and its relationship to different types of development. The analysis (based on detailed district-level data) shows that government-sponsored education is not extensive enough to affect comprehensive national development. By contrast, nongovernment secondary education is strongly associated with lower child mortality and other types of development. Local communities pool their financial and labor resources to build and operate secondary schools, efforts that are sometimes organized around ethnicity. However, self-help efforts are not as effective in eradicating tropical disease or other serious health problems, which require substantial technology and.financial resources.