Intergenerational education effects of the first Taliban rule

We examine the effects of maternal exposure to the Taliban rule (1996–2001) on children’s education in Afghanistan. We exploit two sources of variation: geographic variation in the control of provinces by the Taliban, and the age of women during that time. Using the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey, we find that 15 years after the regime, children of mothers who were in their primary schooling years during the Taliban had 20% lower school attendance and 14% fewer years of schooling. The primary driver is the Taliban’s ban on women’s education, which curtailed mothers’ schooling.